


Barefoot

by DanceLikeAnHippogriff



Series: Footprints [1]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Action/Adventure, Akainu is an asshole, Asexual Monkey D. Luffy, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Development, Character Study, Chases, Finally, Friendship, Gen, Hints of ZoSan, How Do I Tag, I really care about this work, I'll do my favourite character justice, I'm Bad At Summaries, Not ship centric, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Too many chases... really, Too many chases... really., Who knows me will see it coming lol
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-26
Updated: 2019-06-16
Packaged: 2019-08-29 20:54:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 51,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16751356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DanceLikeAnHippogriff/pseuds/DanceLikeAnHippogriff
Summary: At Punk Hazard, the Straw Hat crew clashes with the repellent reality of the New World: innocent victims of powerful people’s cruelty, Devil Fruits trafficking, human experimentation. In spite of their victory, they discover a terrible truth: they weren’t able to save all the children. Determined to put an end to those kidnappings, the crew sets sail for a journey that will lead them to an enemy hidden in plain sight.The key to solve this mystery appears to be a girl who had much rather kept a low profile, but was in the right place at the wrong time.Among travels to new islands, fights against the most unsuspecting of opponents, unexpected help and way too many Coup De Burst, the Straw Hat crew will be dragged into a journey that might shake – or even destroy – the foundations and the balance of the world.





	1. The first step

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Nereisi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nereisi/gifts).
  * A translation of [Barefoot](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15538128) by [Nereisi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nereisi/pseuds/Nereisi). 



> Translator's note:  
> Disclaimer! Whatever the Author's note may say, she's lying. She didn't keep her promise at all, that's why this story will be updated once every three weeks in spite of her claims. How do I know that you may ask? Well. Because the beta reader she's talking about... It's me.  
> Many thanks to our English Editor, Kattenprinsen, who was kind enough to beta read this translation and the ones that will come in the future. If you're interested, go check her Ao3 profile: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kattenprinsen/pseuds/kattenprinsen
> 
> In the hope that you may like this work, enjoy the first chapter of Barefoot!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s note: *inhales* I SUCK WITH INTRODUCTIONS SO THANK YOU FOR CLICKING ON THIS STORY IN SPITE OF THAT SHITTY INTRO.  
> Well, then. Those of you who follow me on Tumblr already know about this story. When I posted the final chapter of PDF I mentioned an important personal project I was working on. And it’s this one.  
> I made a promise to my beta: not to start posting before having 10 chapters ready. I didn’t want it to end like “Ringil”: no chapters ready, leaving people hanging for months for an update. I’m sort of getting around that promise: the plot is ready from beginning to end and I’m currently writing the 4th chapter; Imma post the first one anyway. I want to see the readers’ reactions and I hope an audience might come together for this story. This project means too much to me for seeing it be ignored once I start posting on a regular basis. That’s why I’m uploading the first chapter today. Then I can go back to keep my promise: the other chapters shall be uploaded once I’ve got the 10th written down, to avoid massive hiatus in between uploads.  
> This fanfiction has been in my mind for years. I worked on painstakingly, refining each detail to make it as close to canon as possible. The setting is in between the end of Punk Hazard and Dressrosa; I took a few artistic freedoms here and there to extend the timeline that separates the two islands/arcs in canon. There are couples, but this fanfiction isn’t ship-centric; that’s the main reason I haven’t put any ship in the disclaimer.  
> I apologise for the seriousness – which isn’t me at all – but, as I mentioned before, this is too important of a work to me. And it’s been such a long time I haven’t felt a bit of gratification. My translation activity is going well and I thank you deeply for that, but I’d also love to see some love for a work I’ve entirely created. I’ve got an inferiority complex to crush. :))))  
> Without further delay, I leave you to the reading of the first chapter of “Barefoot”, in the hope that you might want to take this first step with me! <3

“Take those things away from my face.” Law hissed threateningly. “For the last time, Mugiwara-ya; powers that you cannot even imagine are to converge here any moment now. We can’t be caught off guard or we’ll be wiped out, can’t you understand?!”  
Luffy hugged the chopsticks that he had _oh so_ _generously_ offered to Law, similar to those that he had stuck up his nose and in his lower lip. The Supernova gave him a pout, followed by an expression of superiority turned grotesque by the sticks. The Shichibukai turned his nose up and rested his hand on Kikoku’s hilt, in the event that the other tried to insist. “Aw, Torao, don’t go around lecturing people just because _you_ don’t know how to have fun.”  
Law could clearly feel a couple of veins clogging somewhere in his body. _“None of you should be having fun right now!”_ It took all of his willpower not to sound like a frustrated housewife. “I already told you: now that we have interfered with Punk Hazard and the SMILE factory, Doflamingo won’t just sit around. Coming here will be the first thing he’ll do, he’s probably heading here in this very moment!”

It seemed Luffy wasn’t listening to him – shocker – and handled the sticks to one of the rescued children, smiling at him and showing him how to use them. A captain, for Heaven’s sake! That man was the captain of a ship, they shared the same rank!

The child ran away laughing and Luffy turned to face Law again, flashing him an ear-to-ear grin. “That’s why I told everyone to hurry up! Oh!” he cried suddenly, slamming his fist on his own palm. Monkey D. Luffy seemed to have been struck by an idea and Law wasn’t sure he wanted to hear it.  
 “Since we’re allies and I helped you catching the gas clown, I want you to party with us in exchange.”  
Well, there you go.  
Law asked himself if maybe _all_ of his veins had clotted. He was feeling dizzy, as if there was not enough blood flowing to his brain. He passed a hand over his face, sighing and trying to piece together what all was left of his patience. It went without saying that it was very little.  
“Mugiwara-ya,” He started, “Our alliance was a TEMPORARY one. Which means that once the goal is achieved, everyone goes their separate ways. The mission is accomplished, I’ve got Caesar and you’ve put together the samurai and saved the children. You can’t ask me to do something in the name of that alliance because that alliance is _disbanded_! Do you understand now?”  
His listener seemed utterly disappointed. And irritated. “Robin was right,” muttered crossing his arms over his chest. “Alliances among pirates really _are_ captivised by treason.”  
“Characterised by.” Law corrected him. “…wait a second!” he exclaimed outraged. “I didn’t _betray_ you!”  
“And how do you explain not taking part in the feast?!” screeched the guy as if the whole idea of refusing food was a deadly offence.  
Law opened and closed his mouth multiple times, unable to find a logical answer to an illogical question. _He_ thought it illogical, at least. “I… I was saying it for you… Doflamingo-“  
 “HA?!” the Supernova interrupted him and leaned forward, their noses almost touching for the rush. Law looked at him, lost. No matter his answer, it seemed that nothing could have justified him, not even an impending ambush from the cruelest member of the Shichibukai. Actually, given his hunger, Luffy could as well eat him alive.  
“…Do as you wish.” Sighed Law, defeated. He relaxed his shoulders and neck – even his cervical pain had grown stronger. He was _so_ in need of a massage. “You know what? Bring me some of that soup.” He ignored Luffy’s victorious grin and headed towards the only person that seemed mentally stable in that bay.  
Smoker welcomed him with a look halfway between pitiful and sympathetic, glancing at him from over his bowl of soup without uttering a single word. Law sat down at a reasonable distance from the Vice-Admiral, keeping Kikoku at his side as if it were the only thing keeping him sane.  
They both were silent for a while, relishing that small bubble of quietness – and normality – that came to be a few meters away from the open-air feast.

After a couple of minutes, BlackLeg, Straw Hats’ cook, brought Law a fuming bowl. He took it with a brief nod. “Don’t mind him.” Law raised his head, startled, and met the sympathetic eyes of the blond. “That’s the way he is. Don’t worry, we’re used to touch-and-goes.” Law heard Smoker grunting with the spoon still in his mouth.  
“Hurrying would be better anyway.” He insisted. “I’d say that a bowl is enough before l-“  
“Oh no, don’t you dare.” The visible eye of the cook had narrowed sharply. “This is one of the few things that that knucklehead and I agree on. After a battle like this one it’s crucial to get your strength back and have a decent meal, especially in your case.” Law gave him a confused look. “I heard that your ability drains your energy. Which means: you must eat. I don’t want to hear a single complaint.” That said, the blond turned towards Smoker, pointing at the empty bowl with his finger. “Give it here. A grown man like you shouldn’t be full with just one bowl.” The marine gave him a silent stare before handing him the bowl with a snort.  
Sanji gave Law a last glance. “After Chopper’s finished checking the children and the more severely wounded I’ll send him to you. You’re not in a bad shape, but a check-up before setting sail is always a good idea.”  
The Surgeon of Death blinked a few times. “Actually, I’m a doc-“  
“USOPP! GET AWAY FROM MY SPICES OR THIS IS THE TIME I’LL GIVE YOU A NORMAL NOSE!” Sanji howled, turning on his heel from Law and marching towards his comrade, caught sticking his nose quite literally in the ingredients left unguarded next to the pot.  
“Oh, Sanji! C’mon! Just a bit, please! Lemme study them! Which kind of bullet I could turn them into, I wonder… No! I was joking, no, not the knives! Zorooo!” The sniper screeched, seeking shelter behind his comrade. A choice that led to a duel between the cook and the swordsman followed by the enthusiastic cheers of the G-5 members.  
Law, left alone again with his trauma, let his back rest against the wall and tried to collect his thoughts. He took the bowl in between his hands, craving the heat it carried. Despite his coat, it was damn cold. It was in these kinds of moments that he missed his crew the most. He missed them, those bastards. They were idiots but at least they were _his_ idiots. He got used to them, he could handle them. The Straw Hats’ crew, on the other hand…  
Law felt a shiver running down his spine. He huddled into himself, imagining Bepo next to him. Bepo and his warm, thick fur. Had he been wrong not bringing at least his navigator with him? The Shichibukai tightened his lips. No. That problem had started and had to finish with him and him alone. What he was diving into was too dangerous, he wasn’t expecting to get out of that alive. He didn’t think he could’ve bear a member of his crew dying for that cause.  
“He’s not how you expect him to be, right?” Law was shaken out of his thoughts. He turned his head towards Smoker, who had lit up two cigars the very moment his bowl got cleared away. The Vice-Admiral blew a thick puff of smoke.  
“Straw Hat.” he explained. “You know; I was about to ask you what you were planning to do with him since you have quite a talent for manipulation. But there’s no need to anymore, I think.” He grinned.  
Law shot him an irritated look. “What do you mean?”  
Smoker folded his arms. “A pirate is always a pirate.” Law rolled his eyes. “However, there are differences even among scum. I’ve been hunting him down for two years now and I came to understand a thing about that idiot: it’s utterly impossible to control him. Even his own crew struggles to get a hold of him. The only times in which he behaves like a pirate are those when he flees from the Marine. I’m starting to think that he might be seeing it as a stupid game.” He had another smoke. “That’s why you don’t want to make another alliance with him. He’s too much of a wild card and unpredictability is dangerous.”  
Law turned, focusing on the fire again. Smoker couldn’t know that, but he was more than just right. His mission was too important, too thorny and dangerous and, most of all, uncertain in itself already; no need to add gummy guys without the single trace of common sense. “Strangely enough, you seem to have a good opinion of him.” He glanced at him. “Why do you keep on chasing him then?”  
“It’s a matter of principle.” The man spoke back immediately. He frowned. “Because he’s a pirate. Because I’m a marine. And because I can’t stand him.” He completed. “Thinking about what kind of disasters he could make if allowed to walk free gives me a headache.”  
“Ha.” Law laughed sarcastically. “We both agree on that.” They both looked at the feast, where the subject of their talk was fighting a few G-5 members over some meat.  
Law shivered again and thanked his foresight for having made a temporary alliance and not a long-term one.  
He grinned. “Two years? And you still haven’t caught him, White Chase-ya?”  
The Vice-Admiral tightened his grip on his jitte. “Shut up, pirate.”  


* * *

Tashigi halted her steps and leaned out the bulwark, her attention caught by the voices that clattered a few meters away. She rested her elbows on the gunwale and looked tenderly at the scene that was taking place below her. The children they had rescued from Caesar’s laboratories were – at last – safe and laughed cheerfully at the silly show put on by the Straw Hats and a few G-5s. It seemed as if they had forgotten that only a few hours ago they had been clueless guinea pigs of terrible human experiments. Now they just wanted to have fun with their new friends and go back to their parents. It brought a smile to her face when the Straw Hats’ sniper made everyone burst out laughing by pressing his cyborg friend’s nose, making a new bizarre hairstyle spring out.  
The woman became serious again, standing up. There was a reason why she was aboard this military ship while the others were partying and stuffing themselves after all.  
She entered the ship, walking down the corridor and reached the door of her personal cabin. Once inside, she closed the door and went to her desk. She put Shigure against the small bookcase next to her desk and sat down, unbuttoning her collar. Tashigi closed her eyes and relaxed her shoulders and neck, letting her head roll back slowly and breathing in. She needed a moment to gather her thoughts.  
When they went ashore on that shady island they were expecting that something would have probably gone wrong, but they had not foreseen such levels of danger. There had been moments in which she had thought they would have not made it out alive, let alone coming back to the ship.  
Not to mention all the things they had discovered. It was like lifting an old carpet to find out that the most diverse and disgusting species of bugs and cockroaches had proliferated under it. An island that, under the Marine’s nose, had cultivated the darkest obscenities a human mind could imagine: mortal experiments on children, mad scientists, a devil fruits mass production controlled by a Shichibukai to the benefit of a Yonko. They had opened the worst Pandora’s box ever.

Tashigi straightened up, sighing and rubbing her nose bridge.

 

They had not simply opened it, they had also destroyed it. She couldn’t help but think that they got mixed up in something bigger than themselves and _that_ filled her with concern, especially after that day’s events.  
Tashigi opened her eyes staring at the wall, frowning. There was no denying it. She took her glasses off and cleaned them with abrupt movements that betrayed her frustration. She was a Marine Captain, she had to face that situation with maturity.  
_Fear_. That was the emotion that made her blood freeze when she thought of her miserable performance. The truth was that she felt not even remotely a match for her role as Smoker’s right arm. Two years had passed from when she had sworn to grow stronger, but… Tashigi grit her teeth.  
She did not have the slightest chance against Law. To add insult to defeat, she suffered a humiliating let-down from the supernova. She was saved by Roronoa Zoro, who defeated with a single blow the enemy that she could barely wound. She was saved by her own men. They sacrificed their lives for her, when the one who should guide and shield the soldiers should be their superior! On that occasion, she was helped _again_ by a pirate, BlackLeg Sanji. Were it not for him, Tashigi could not even imagine how much the death toll would have risen. Sure, they found out that the gas wasn’t _really_ deadly, and they had already sent a few squads to retrieve the G-5s left behind… But what if it was deadly like Caesar had bluffed? How many of her men would have died to save her? How many more if BlackLeg wouldn’t have been there?  
Tashigi tightened her fists. She wasn’t strong enough. Especially not for the New World standards. She glanced at her precious sword – that she had almost lost that day – and shook her head. Torturing herself for what had already happened was no good. She had to stay strong and think about her next move.  
Which brought her back to the reason why she went back to her cabin during the feast.  
She opened one of the drawers on the right side of the desk and took out a folder swollen by documents. She cleared some space on her desk and opened it to flip through its content. There was a voice in the back of her mind, like a strange sensation that wouldn’t go away. There was something off and she had to find out what otherwise it would have hunted her for the whole week.  
She kept on skimming through the countless pages without even knowing precisely what she was looking for, hunching more and more on the desk.  
Then, something caught her eye. She frowned, studying the document that she was holding in her hands. She blinked, a sudden intuition. She piled the sheets as they were before and reached for a pen. She started checking the folder from the beginning, marking a few sheets while leaving others untouched. In the end, she separated the firsts from the seconds.

 

Tashigi put the pen back on the desk with a bitter expression. She leaned against the back of her chair and in that moment the sound of loud children’s laughter reached her ears again.  
Tashigi bit her own lip, clenched her fists and slammed one of them on the desk.  
She hadn’t been able to complete not even one of the missions she had given herself.

 

Not even one.  


* * *

“Okay, leave him here. Thanks for the help, guys!”  
The two brawny marines replied with an affirmative grunt and dropped the load without any care.  
“Be careful, damn it! If I get one more scratch Joker will hear about it!” As if someone cared about _that_ load.  
Chopper asked himself one more time if there was a way to bypass his oath as a doctor and his own morals. He wanted to treat the _wounded_ , but he wanted to inflict more pain to the _man_. And that spoke volumes, considering Tony Tony Chopper was the least violent-natured creature in the world. The small reindeer observed with sad eyes how the children around them suddenly had stopped laughing to cling to one another. The doctor turned into his human form to push roughly Caesar next to the bonfire, ignoring his outraged squawking. It wouldn’t have made sense to treat his wounds if he had got frostbite after. The small reindeer felt as if he was somehow betraying the children by giving medical treatment to the man that had kidnapped them from their houses and used them as guinea pigs. The jailer that did not think twice before sentencing them to death. Chopper reverted to his normal form, searching his first-aid kit thoroughly with a scowl on his muzzle.  
“What a pity he’s not here now.” Spat out Nami with venom. The navigator could hardly restrain herself from spitting him for real, disgust and rage clear in her face and posture. “Bastard. You can’t do anything by yourself and you hide behind powerful people to harm innocents, to harm _children_!” Mocha, who was standing behind her, took timidly the girl’s hand trying to calm her. It seemed to relax Nami a little, but that couldn’t be said for her words. “You’re the kind of person this world needs least, _scumbag_.”  
“Hey, kid, are you lecturing me?” barked Caesar Clown, struggling against his Seastone shackles. “I’m a genius scientist, you nothing but a miserable pirate. Scum like you has always brought hate and misery wherever they go. Your little gang is surely no different. And not so roughly, damn you!” he complained as Chopper was purposely rubbing an ointment over his face more vigorously than needed.  
The navigator’s eyes were bitterly cold. “If Luffy was that kind of person I’d have killed him with my own hands a long time ago. None of us would have followed him.”  
“Ah!” exclaimed Caesar mocking her. “What do you think you know, ignorant psycho?” he ignored the girl’s death stare. “You’ve just arrived in the New World, you can’t even imagine what lurks in these seas. You’ve upset the wrong hive and you’ll regret it!” he shouted. He looked at the children, who were trying to hide as well as they could behind the navigator. He grinned. “Those snot-nosed kids should thank me, instead! They wouldn’t need for anything while here. Something far more frightening than eating an innocent candy could happen to you in the New World, _children_.” He concluded, emphasizing the last word and going back for a moment to his role as a ‘Master’.  
Nami sprang up, furious, grabbing her Clima Tact and driving it in the scientist’s throat, pushing it against his windpipe and barely allowing him to breathe. Caesar made a strangulated gargling, followed by a few pitiful whines and attempts to move the weapon away. Chopper didn’t even flinch and looked the other way, unzipping the bag to put back the ointment and take the tweezers and a ball of cotton. “What are you talking about?” Nami hissed. “What do you mean?”  
Caesar didn’t answer, too busy trying to escape the pressure of the pole on his throat. A pointless attempt, given his weakened condition and his opponent’s rage. The girl clutched her hands around her Clima Tact, scratching slightly her palms with her nails. “Answer, you fucking-“  
“For how much it delights me to see that thing being tread on, I must ask you to stop, Nami-ya. Caesar Clown is my prisoner and I need him all in one piece.”  
The navigator narrowed her eyes, throwing at his victim a last glance of disdain before turning to face her new speaker. “Law.” She scanned him from head to toe. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Smoker silently observing the scene. “Did you eat something?”  
The Shichibukai seemed shocked for a second before bouncing back and answering with a nod. “BlackLeg-ya saw to it.”  
“Mh.” Nami went back to glare at the scientist who was laying at her feet as if daring him to add something more. The man whined feebly and kept on glancing at the Clima Tact in her hands, without saying anything. “Speaking of which, you didn’t tell us what you want to do with him. I know that he’s a hostage and that you want to use him against Doflamingo. What’s your plan?”  
Law stood silent for a few moments. “It’s better for you not to know it.” He answered finally.  
“Is it worse than what happened here?” Law nodded. “Ugh, then no, thank you. I don’t want to know.” She checked the Log Pose on her wrist. “Can you at least tell me which direction will you take? If it’s that dangerous, I don’t want to have anything to do with it.”  
The dark-haired boy kept quiet, pondering the different options. “Dressrosa.” He murmured, lowering his voice.  
“Got it, thanks for the tip. I’ll make sure that our Captain _never_ knows of it.” The navigator replied cheerfully, waving at him. Law silently watched her go away.  
“Law-dono!” A callused hand patted him on the shoulder. Law turned. Kin’emon, the samurai that he had sliced up a few hours before was looking at him with concern in his eyes. “Law-dono, did I hear you well? Your next stop is Dress-“  
“Lower your voice.” Law growled, closing out drastically the distance that separated him from the samurai. He looked around carefully. Luckily, no one had seemed to notice their interaction.  
“Law-dono!” The samurai insisted. Law looked at him irritated. “You heard it wrong. My next stop is Green Bit.”  
“These ears cannot have heard it wrong! You have undoubtedly said Dress-“ Law hurriedly shoved a hand on his mouth. That stupid samurai was too loud. Why was he asking him a question he already knew the answer to? The Surgeon felt his irritation escalating. He met the eyes of his speaker with caution (and a bit of aggression). “What if I did? Why would you care?” Kin’emon’s face lit up with a mix of attention and hope. “Law-dono, this way, please.” He whispered in a determined tone, heading towards the bonfire. “Make haste!” He added when he saw that the guy wasn’t following him.  
Law clutched Kikoku’s hilt. He didn’t like how things were turning out. His destination should have remained a secret and yet two people knew about it now. “Momonosuke! Law-dono is headed towards the place where Kanjuro is!” Three people.  
Mononosuke – none other than the child who ate the Zoan-dragon fruit – stopped looking at Luffy and Usopp’s show and looked at them, eyes wide open and mouth agape. Law did not know who this “Kanjuro” was nor what had happened to him. However, it probably meant something very precise to the child given his reaction. Mononosuke unrolled his sleeves down, which he had previously rolled up to eat, and nodded to his father. Kin’emon nodded back and turned to face Law again. “Law-dono, we should speak in private.”  
The Surgeon of Death stood silent, but the samurai understood his tacit approval.  
The three moved behind a frozen rock in a solitary part of the bay. It was close enough to hear the sounds of the party, but also far enough to not being listened to by someone else. Law stared at the two people of Wano standing in front of him. “Speak up.”  
“Law-dono, this one should preface this by saying that he cannot tell his whole story.”  
Law narrowed his eyes. The man, clueless, continued: “Momonosuke ended here by mistake.” Law raised his eyebrow. The child fiddled with his sleeve and lowered his gaze, ashamed. Kin’emon went on: “Not even those children should be here, clearly… But Momonosuke… Mh. It would be better if I started from the beginning. However, as I said before, I cannot tell the whole story. Let us not waste time on idle talk: Momonosuke and I were travelling together with our dear friend, Kanjuro, when misfortune hit us and we were shipwrecked on a land named Dressrosa.” Law blinked and crossed his arm on his chest, visibly interested. Kin’emon tightened his fists. “Sadly, we landed in the wrong place at the wrong time. We witnessed a most disturbing incident: a man was murdered in cold blood by his comrades because he couldn’t fulfill a mission by killing someone. Kin’emon made a pause meeting Law’s eyes. “Those men turned out to be Donquixote Doflamingo’s underlings. I know he’s one of your enemies.”  
Law’s face turned white. He tightened his grip around Kikoku and pushed it against his shoulder to the point of hurting, trying to stay calm and rational. He simply answered: “Yes.”  
Kin’emon nodded before adding: “As I said before, we had an unfortunate unforeseen event. We were spotted and, for that reason, forced to flee. Momonosuke took shelter in a ship docked in the harbor while Kanjuro and I tried to get the better of our opponents. Until…” The samurai lowered his gaze. “The ship set sail. The both of us couldn’t follow it due to our enemies and that’s when Kanjuro sacrificed himself to allow me to leave them behind and follow the ship.”  
Law looked alternatingly at the child and the samurai. “So what you’re saying is that you are in need of a lift to Dressrosa?”  
The man fidgeted, his embarrassment as clear as his reddened cheeks.  
“Yes, please.” A clear voice replied. The two men turned towards Momonosuke. The child looked at Law with determination, then he moved his gaze to his father. “Father, reaching Kanjuro is our priority. We cannot allow our pride to hinder us when our destination is so important!”  
It was as if a thunder had struck Kin’emon. He fell to his knees next to his child and grabbed him by the shoulders with watery eyes. “You’re right. Please, forgive me.” Still kneeling, he turned to face Law and then proceeded to rest his hands on the ground, lowering his head. “Law-dono. I beg you to take us with you to Dressrosa. We shall see not to be a hindrance to you.”  
Momonosuke joined his father and kneeled down even though, when he did, for some reason his father looked aghast. “Law-dono, please.”  
“There is no need to beg me.” Father and son jerked up their heads, eyes wide open. Law tapped his index nail on the sheath rested on his shoulder. He nodded and the two hurriedly stood up, patting the snow away from their clothes. Law glanced at the swords on Kin’emon’s hip. “I saw what you can do with those swords. I heard that you’re called Foxfire Kin’emon.” The samurai puffed his chest out, proud to have his abilities acknowledged. “There’s nothing more right! I am one of the most expert samurais in my country and there is no fire that I cannot slice through!”  
“Mh.” Law turned his gaze to the sea. “…As you could see, I’ve got a prisoner. A prisoner that I have to defend against who wants to take him back.” He gave him a meaningful look. “Three swords are better than one.”  
Two identic smiles broadened on his speakers’ faces. “You have my utmost gratitude, Law-dono!” The samurai exclaimed.  
“A-A-Also mine!” Momonosuke stammered, wrigging his clothes in his hands.  
The Shichibukai sighed. “Get back to the fire. If you fall ill now, you will be a hindrance _for real_.” Kin’emon smiled. “I concur. Let’s go, Momonosuke.” He said walking the child to the life of the party.  
Law watched them leave.  
_What a coincidence_ , he thought. He was planning to set course to Dressrosa on his own, using extreme cautiousness and slowness. Even though he wouldn’t spare on the first, now he had an excuse to scale the second down. A child on board definitely wasn’t the most desirable situation when you were running from the underlings of a powerful broker while keeping one of his most useful men as a hostage. However, Kin’emon’s remarkable ability was a counterbalance; an authentic Wano samurai. _Did perhaps some of Mugiwara-ya’s blind luck influence me as well? Well, even if it wasn’t so, I have no intention of wasting this chance._  
Law stared at the sea for a few minutes and then headed back to the fire. While he was at it, he could as well eat some more food cooked by Black Leg-ya.  
That soup was truly delicious.  
 

* * *

“The Marine will assume custody of the children?!” Nami exclaimed staggered.  
The navigator’s eyes were glued to the woman bowed in front of her. Tashigi was silent, her eyes focused on the ship planks, and Nami couldn’t understand if what the woman was radiating was shame or apprehension. “Are you aware of the fact that these poor creatures have suffered because of _your_ negligence?! And it’s not even the first time it happens!” She cried, furious. “I made a promise to these children. To protect them and I’ll be damned if I don’t.”  
A sudden gust of wind ruffled the women’s hair. Nami moved a few strands of auburn hair away from her face, irritated; Tashigi didn’t flinch, standing still and bowed. The navigator felt another rush of rage while facing the silence of her speaker. “No matter how many mistakes you do, how many crimes or offences you commit, you always play the role of the hero in the end, uh? The World Government is always there to cover for you and swipe it all under the carpet. You are the _good_ _guys_ , after all. You are no different than the scum that sails these seas.”  
Tashigi snapped to those words, straightening her back and tightening her fists along her hips. “I made a promise too!” She exclaimed, her cheeks reddened for the rush. “I promised to the parents of these children that I’d look for them when everyone else refused to!”  
Nami listened in shock to the vent of the soldier. The Captain looked at her in the eyes and continued. “I do not presume to redeem the Marine as a whole. To be honest with you, I don’t think that a single person can do it. However-“ She stopped. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and calmed down. When she resumed, her voice was normal again, even if stained by an unmistakable nuance of sadness. “However, for once, I’ve got the power to help someone, to _really_ help someone. It has been a long time I wanted to grab this chance… and I want to keep a promise.” She looked at her and Nami saw great calmness and patience and kindness in those eyes. She felt a sudden tightness in her chest and the memory of Bellemere came back to her mind, overwhelming.  
“Please, allow me to do it. I want to bring these children back to their families and, with the help of Smoker-san, get Vegapunk to examine them. He’s the only one that may be able to find a cure to their gigantism.”  
Nami smiled. “All right. I entrust them to you, take good care of the children.” Tashigi seemed to be taken aback by her answer. She muttered a string of incoherent words while gesticulating with her hands, but the navigator didn’t miss the imperceptible smile hovering around her lips.  
“If they were seen with us, we would be blamed as usual anyway.” Said Nami laughing. “Good for them that they’re entrusted to the symbol of justice. Make a good use of it, for once.” She joked. Tashigi flinched. Nami regretted what she said. Maybe it was too harsh of a joke. “Ah… Sorry.”  
The woman shook her head. “There’s no need to be. You’re right.” Tashigi came closer, searched her coat thoroughly and took out a bundle of papers. She offered it to her and the pirate took them with a confused look on her face. “What is it?” She asked.  
Tashigi chewed at her lower lip. “There’s one more thing I wanted to tell you.” Nami started skimming through the files. Each one of them was coupled with a picture of more or less grown-up children and a comprehensive description. “At the G-5 headquarters, we used to receive missing-children reports. Many of them lived in the headquarters island. I tried to bring the matter to the attention of… Vergo multiple times,” She spat out the name with spite “but he always played down the problem or detracted the investigations. When I left with Vice-Admiral Smoker I brought the documents with me in the insane hope that I could’ve found at least one of those children. I would have never guessed that I could find these many all at once…” She made a sad smile. Nami clutched the sheets to her chest and looked at her, lost and scared. “… Many. But not all of them.”  
“So… All of these…?” Murmured Nami.  
“All of those documents are reports of missing children that are yet to be found. I discovered it yesterday night when I kept out from the files all the reports of the children that we have rescued here at Punk Hazard.”  
“There’s so many of them!” Hissed the girl, thumbing through them once more. “Are you saying that all these children are still nowhere to be found?”  
“Yes.” Replied Tashigi gloomily.  
The navigator stood silent for a moment, flicking through the documents and studying them with sorrow. “Why are you handing them to me?” She asked finally, lifting her head to look at her in the eyes.  
“First of all, because that’s not the only copy I have.” Replied Tashigi. Then she added: “Because I know what kind of people you are, Straw Hats’ crew. I’ve known it for two years and I could see it again today on this island.” She adjusted her glasses and continued: “And mostly because the more people know of the children, the higher the chance they can be found.”  
The two women stared at each other for a while. Eventually, Nami nodded. “Take good care of what lies ahead of you, for now.” She said. “Protect them for me too.”  
“I promise.” Tashigi answered with determination.  
“You carry the weight of three promises on your shoulders, Captain.” Nami smiled at her. “Don’t sink under it.”

* * *

The Cat Burglar buried her face in Mocha’s coat when the child pulled her close for a hug. The girl did her best to hug her back, but her arm could barely encircle half of the chest of the child. “Onee-chan, the glasses girl said that we have to leave soon. When will I see you again?” The red-haired girl lifted her head, meeting Mocha’s eyes with a gaze filled with tenderness, and smiled. “I don’t know, Mocha. Maybe, if we’re lucky, we’ll meet again soon.” The child looked at her with watery eyes and hugged her closer.  
They stood like that for a while, the giant child and the pirate. In spite of her dimensions and the strength of her feelings, Mocha never squeezed her too much.  
The G-5s’ cries filled the air. “Brats, it’s time!” The two parted and Nami watched her boarding the military ship; she hurriedly hid the treacherous tear that was about to spill down through her eyelashes.  
“Have a safe journey.” She turned. Tashigi stood there stretching out her hand. She shook it. “You too.” They both nodded. Tashigi withdrew her hand, smiled and boarded the ship.  
“Do you like the Marine woman?” Luffy asked with a cheerful voice standing next to her. Nami folded her arms on her chest, a sly smile on her lips. “I suppose so. Luffy?”  
“Mh?” He mumbled, a chicken leg in his mouth.  
“There’s something I’d like to ask to you and the crew. Something I want to do.”  
“Sure!” That was the answer of her Captain. Simple. Innocent. Cheerful.  
Nami sighed with fondness and resignation, resting a hand on her hip. “Don’t you want to ask me _what_ I want to do?” She asked, a smile on her face.  
“Is it a bad thing?” Luffy gnawed.  
The navigator laughed. “No.”  
“Will there be fights?” She could clearly hear hope in his voice.  
Nami rested her chin on her hand, pensive. “I’m not sure… maybe.”  
“Ok, let’s do it!” Luffy exclaimed, marching towards the Thousand Sunny. Nami looked at him going and shook her head. “What an idiot.” A smile stretched on her lips.  
As expected, it was an eye-catching departure. The Marines put on a hardly credible travesty; they wouldn’t let the children see the pirates and screeched about the hundreds of thousands supposed Marine qualities and the hundreds of thousands of obscenities of the pirates. It did nothing but make the children shout that they wanted to become pirates as well, in between the G-5s shocked exclamations. The whole thing ended up in a lot of snot, tears, and cries. Smoker slapped his hand on his face, feeling an imminent headache.  
The only one who wasn’t showy was Law, together with Mononosuke and Kanjuro. The group left quietly; just a brief goodbye between the two Captains – during which Luffy wrapped Law in a tangle of gummy limbs, making him promise that he’d have contacted them soon. Then the three sailed quickly away, taking Caesar with them.  
The Straw Hats followed their example soon after and set sail, waving goodbye for the last time to that unwelcoming island of ice and fire.

* * *

“… And that’s it.” Nami concluded, putting the last sheet of paper on the table in front of her.  
“Aw! Poor brats, where they can be now, I wonder!” Franky teared up, dramatic as always.  
“More missing children…” Chopper murmured, frowning. He still felt guilty for not having found those of Punk Hazard sooner. A gentle hand patted him. The reindeer looked up to meet Robin and her reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, we’ll find them.”  
“Tsk. We’re turning into a damn nursery; so much for a pirate crew. We’re not Marines, let’s let them do their job.” Zoro grumbled annoyed.  
Nami looked him up and down calmly. “Like they did at with Punk Hazard?” She asked. “Like they did with my village?” The swordsman didn’t reply, but grimaced. “After everything we’ve been through, we know damn well that the Marines aren’t perfect. Actually, they’ve got more holes than cheese." The redhead sentenced, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.  
“Cheese?” Luffy lifted up his head, drooling already. “Sanji, can you cook us a snack with some? I’m hungry for cheese.”  
“We’ve. Just. Set sail. Behave!” The cook shouted. “Awwwwwwwww- Ouch.” Luffy whined when his head got hit by the blond’s fist.  
“That woman… Tashigi, she trusts me. It must have been hard on her given her hate-the-pirates absolute policy… Even though that’s not what concerns me. These children, Punk Hazard children too, aren’t expecting anyone to rescue them. They’re not expecting someone to help them. Mocha and the others have been lucky; we landed on that island out of sheer chance and when they saw us they _begged_ us for help. They asked us for help, pirates, unknown people, with tears in their eyes. Now, think of yourself as a child, ripped away from your parents without the single hope to go back home one day. Wouldn’t you hope for someone to come and rescue you?”  
The Sunny was dead silent.  
Nobody talked, but each one of them had answered. And Nami heard it loud and clear.  
Luffy jumped up with a little effort. “And that’s it!” He smiled. “Sanji, what about that snack with cheese?” The whole crew laughed, breaking the tension. Everyone but Sanji. Sanji stomped more than once on the gummy face of his Captain with the bottom of his shoe before feeling satisfied.  
Zoro huffed, tilting his head and staring silently at the Jolly Roger flapping on top of the mainmast. “So?” He asked. “Where to?”  
“Usopp, go fetch the map that King Neptune gave us, please.” Nami briefed. “Well… To be honest, I still have to think about it.” She confessed. “I had in mind to set a course for the area where most of the kidnappings occurred, but I have yet to check one by one all the-“  
“Namea.” Robin said, studying the documents lying around in front of her.  
“Eh?”  
“Namea. A name showing up too many times to be but a mere coincidence. Many of the kidnappings occurred on this island.” The archaeologist explained, pointing at several sheets with her finger. Nami collected the files, checking them. “You’re right!” She exclaimed.  
“Your eyes and your mind are as quick as the offshore winds, Robin-san.” Brook complimented her. “Why, now you could let the sea breeze disclose to the world the secret of your pant-“  
“DIE!” That day, the Straw Hats’ musician almost played his violin to the Sea Kings.  
“There you go, Nami.” Usopp said, handing her the map.  
“Thanks, Usopp.” Nami examined it. “It’s really a basic map… Also, since we’ve been thrown off course by that undersea marine current, it may not help us much… HA!” She exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at one angle of the map. “AND YET! It must be destiny, there’s no other way! At the extreme outer edge of the map, but there it is!”  
“Namea it is, then!” Luffy said cheerfully. “Crew, weigh the anchor, raise the sail! Proceeding...! Ehm…” He turned to the navigator. “Proceeding?”  
The redhead huffed a laugh and checked the map. “North-East.”  
“Proceeding North-East!” Luffy continued elated. “Sunny, full speed ahead! Namea, here we come!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translator's notes:  
> Welcome aboard, crew! So glad you started this journey with us!
> 
> If you want to keep track with my translations, namely Barefoot, you can follow me on Tumblr as [DanceLikeAnHippogriff](https://dancelikeanhippogriff.tumblr.com/). Use "#translation" or "#barefoot" to find the updates among all my junk! <3


	2. Stumbling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s note: Actually, I’m breaking – again – the promise of starting the uploads once having 10 chapters ready. Still, I’m having a really shitty period and especially today has been a total shit. I NEED SOME SATISFACTION, OKAY?  
> In my defence, I put some thought into it: the first chapter doesn’t actually reveal much of the plot. In the second chapter, though, the real plot starts to develop, there are a few clues, my OC pops up… I mean, come on. ENOUGH WITH THE CHITCHAT, THIS UPLOAD MAKES SENSE.  
> As I wrote in the first chapter, you’ll have to wait a while for real and frequent uploads. Writing is currently well under way (I even added a few things to the plot), but right now I’m fighting with my exams other than with two jobs (and other fanfictions translation) … Let’s say that I’m keeping myself busy.  
> Please, have mercy and give me some feedback, I need it for my sanity. Please.

Namea was at roughly two weeks of steady-paced sailing far.  
Even though it wasn’t located in a problematic zone, and the travel went on without any troubles – except the usual sea monster – those hadn’t been two nice weeks for the crew. There was a strange atmosphere aboard, agitation mixed with unease, and a feeling of anticipation that was new to everyone.  
Since their adventure started all the islands that they explored, and all the battles they faced, happened mostly by accident, or somehow because of something that wasn’t directly connected to their choice. Since Punk Hazard, however, things had begun to change. Sure, they had landed on that island by chance, but when they met Law they had _decided_ to make an alliance, they had _decided_ whether to fight or not.  
  
And now, for the second time, they had chosen to act, to meddle in matters that weren’t their business at all. Unlike Punk Hazard though, there wasn’t a convenient Trafalgar Law to explain to them who the enemies were, what the goals were, and how to accomplish them. This time they didn’t have the faintest idea of who the enemies were, how to beat them, or how many of them there were. They couldn’t know if these potential enemies were stronger than them. And this made them restless.  
From the moment they set their course and their objective – rescuing the children – Zoro locked himself up in the crow’s nest, intensifying his already rigorous training sessions and barely making an appearance during meals. One time, Sanji brought him a snack and almost choked from the stench of sweat and humidity saturating the air. Nearly about to spill the contents of his stomach on the floor, the cook hurriedly left the tray on a table and rushed to slam all the windows open, letting the fresh air in and taking deep breaths to cleanse his lungs. Turning to look at the swordsman with teary eyes, he saw him lifting weights with every single limb, focused as if he didn’t even hear the turmoil caused by the other man. Before he could give him a piece of his mind about having his olfactory glands attacked, Sanji’s eyes got caught by the swordsman pants. Widening his eyes, the cook noticed that they were loose and had started to slip down his hips, even though they were his usual ones and were a perfect fit just one week before. At first, enraged, the cook vented his fury with kicks and shouts; then he started to go and retrieve him at every meal, dragging him to the canteen and making sure that he ate all the generous portions the blonde had cooked. Later on, he started bringing all the snack directly to the crow’s nest; lastly, he sent Chopper after him. A low blow, indeed. The doctor lectured Zoro on the importance of a good diet during an intense training period and scolded him for not being careful enough with his health – the whole thing topped with a trembling cute muzzle and big eyes full of worry.  
Meanwhile, Chopper himself wasn’t in his best shape. Sure, he wasn’t like Zoro, but he was still wracked with guilt for not having been able to cure Punk Hazard’s children. Throw in the fear of the unknown, the potential of the crew rescuing more children without knowing what condition they would be in once found, or which medical treatment they could need. He felt powerless in the face of something he knew was about to happen. He also felt the health of his crew weighing down on his own shoulders.  
They each had found their own way to cope with anxiety but, similarly to Zoro, sometimes those “solutions” only made things worse.  
Franky had claimed that his Shogun was ready for any kind of battle – according to him, it was even a pity that he couldn’t let it loose at Punk Hazard – but in spite of that, more than once he fell deep in thought and rushed below deck to check that everything was perfectly in order and that none of his machines’ bolts needed tightening.  
Nami was so worried about the whole situation that she couldn’t relax even for a second. She constantly tried new techniques to make the ship navigate faster but despite her skills, and the Sunny being an excellent vessel, she couldn’t increase their maximum speed. Add in her conscience: she wanted to land as soon as possible for those children, to rescue them, but at the same time she knew she wasn’t the strongest of the crew. This led her to lock herself up in her cabin for hours to painstakingly study meteorology and her Clima Tact, trying to create new techniques and to think of new tricks that could’ve get her out of trouble.  
  
However, she didn’t stop at that.  
Since she had been the one to put forward – and convince – the crew to set sail for that adventure, she felt responsible for it. Not knowing the slightest detail about their enemies made her increasingly anxious, so she worked even harder, sacrificing precious hours of sleep in the process. The final result was a completely worn out navigator with a very short – if not inexistent – fuse, which led her to lash out at the smallest inconvenience. This, of course, had no benefit for the crew’s morale.  
  
Usopp was being Usopp and there’s no need to add anything here.  
The only members who appeared to be calm were Robin, Luffy, Brook, and Sanji. Robin had tried to gather information about Namea, finding little or nothing. The island was mentioned only a few times in her manuals and the only relevant part was about its fertile ground and the rich vegetation that covered it, making it seem like a piece of heaven. A tropical paradise, not like Skypeia. Since her research had been fruitless, she settled for reading or playing chess with Sanji.  
On his part, even though Sanji had thrown himself into work to better support the others, he clearly had in mind what his nutritional requirements were and tried not to make Chopper worry by staying on track.  
At the same time, Brook did what he did best: playing music. He usually settled outside Nami’s studio or sat on one of the sail yards of the mainmast to make his relaxing music be heard by his companions and ease their nerves.  
  
And Luffy… well, was being Luffy. Hyped for the wrong reasons.  
“I wonder what kind of meat we’ll find there …” He murmured dreamily, scanning the horizon while lying face-down on the figurehead.  
Robin smiled from her deckchair. He had been bouncing from euphoric to fickle and couldn’t wait to land, whining about how long it was taking them to reach their destination – he kept on complaining to Nami without the slightest tact with the only result of enraging her. He behaved like that every time they were about to explore a new island and that this time was no exception. It was nice knowing that they could count on his everlasting enthusiasm even when there was such an unusual mood aboard.  
The kitchen door opened with a squeaky sound. “Must remember to tell long nose to grease these hinges…” mumbled Sanji, bringing out a trail full of onigiri.  
  
“Are those for Zoro?” asked Chopper raising his head from the book he was reading.  
  
“Yes,” huffed the cook. “It seems like he went back to normal, but I don’t trust him. I want to keep an eye on that stupid moss-head before he hurts himself without even noticing.” He concluded annoyed.  
  
Chopper smiled, closing his book. “Thanks, Sanji. Can I bring two to Nami? This morning she recovered a bit from her fever, a little snack could whet her appetite for lunch time.”  
The cook brightened up, nodding with enthusiasm, and lowered to let the small reindeer grab a pair of onigiri from the trail, who then trotted off to the girls’ cabin.  
“Oh, are those for me?” A voice came from above. Zoro was hanging out the crow’s nest window and was looking down with a mocking grin, his head resting on his hand. Sanji glared at him, shrugged and headed to the stepladder that would get him to the swordsman. “What an honour! Am I the first one being served today, mother hen?” he said mockingly while looking at him grabbing onto the rungs. The whole crew rolled their eyes, sighing at yet another one of those scenes. “I’ve never seen a hen in a suit before. You know, if you’d dress less like a stuck-up pretty boy, you could move around more freely-“  
“You looking for a fight?!” growled Sanji, climbing up swiftly despite the other’s mockery, a hand holding the rungs. “Stick to your damn job, fucking lookout! Or do even your eyes have your same sense of direction? You wouldn’t see an island even if it was in front of your broad forehe-“  
“Land!”  
The blonde stood still for a second before resuming his climb, annoyed. “Land, an island, whatever you want. Don’t get so nit-picky about everyth-“  
“ _Land!_ ”  
The blond looked up to the crow’s nest and saw the swordsman’s outstretched arm hanging outside the window, his finger pointing at the horizon. He turned his head following the direction and – squinting his eyes – he saw a dot at the edge of the horizon. His hand tightened around the rung and he swallowed. Glancing down he saw that the others had heard Zoro’s cry as well and were hurrying to the bow. Luffy was jumping on the figurehead, laughing and cheering.  
He gazed back at the dot. They would have landed in two hours or so. He kept on climbing up to the crow’s nest with determination. If he hurried and cooked something light – yet nutrient, of course – he would have ensured that the crew’s bellies were full by the time they’d have dropped the anchor.  
They didn’t know yet what awaited them, after all.  
____________________________  
  
  
Namea was nothing like they expected it to be.  
Sure, thanks to the information that Robin had found they knew that it was a luxuriant island, but given that there had been plenty of abductions they had imagined it as a shady, sinister and grim place. The kind of island where you wouldn’t let children roam free by their own.  
In spite of their thoughts, Namea turned out to be an actual tropical tourist paradise.  
They had to sail along half of the coast before finding what seemed to be the only harbour of the island, and that gave them the chance to better observe Namea.  
Dense vegetation covered it and the sea surrounding it seemed clearer than the one they had crossed in those weeks. Shores of thin white sand encircled the whole coast, adorned with beach umbrellas and beach chairs packed with sunbathing tourists. The island was dotted with hotels built on the edge of the coast, probably to take advantage of the incredible appeal of those heavenly beaches. The true heart of the residential life was represented by the only city that developed around the harbour. Alakai –the name of the city - was written in capital letters on an arch that dominated the only street that from the harbour lead into the residential area.  
It may have had just one port, but Namea had _one hell_ of a port. Well-finished, hectic, full of signs, overflowing with crates, ships of the most diverse dimensions and functions, and, obviously, people.  
The crew had no other choice than docking there. They would have rather drop the anchor in a more hidden place, but Namea had but one harbour, its coast was completely encircled by beaches and there were no rocks to seek shelter behind. It wasn’t windy, so their flag wasn’t waving, but with the Jolly Roger painted on their sails it was quite difficult to go unnoticed.  
They gathered on the deck, glancing cautiously at the pier. To their surprise, nobody paid any particular attention to them. Someone looked at them, but didn’t seem to act as if they were unwelcomed there. No grimace of fear nor disgust, no tension in the air, no warning calls.  
They got off the Sunny one by one, gathering on the wharf. As soon as Franky had attached the mooring lines to the bollard, they were approached by a slightly overweight old man, but nonetheless spry. He blinked a few times when he noticed Franky and Brook, but didn’t make any comment.  
“It will be 5,000 Berry for the mooring tax, thank you.” He said cheerfully, extending his hand. Nami paid without hesitating: though pirates, it was better to follow the law when possible to avoid troubles.  
The old man put the money away and took out a folder. “At what number is your ship moored at?” he asked. When the navigator answered, the little man looked around until he saw their ship. “Oh, pirates.” Nami stiffened, but the collector didn’t seem to care and scribbled something down on his folder. “Ok, we’re finished. Your ship can stay there for three days after which you’ll have to pay a surcharge. Please, remember the number of your mooring; if any problem should arise, you can ask me for help. But hopefully there won’t be any!” he joked, winking at Nami. The girl smiled back and the others breathed a sigh of relief.  
“Thank you.”  
“For what, young lady? For having done my job?” Laughed the little man. “Everybody is welcome here in Namea, even pirates. As long as they don’t cause any _trouble_ , obviously.” He stated, stroking his thick moustache.  
“We have no intention of causing any trouble,” guaranteed Robin, rewarded with an approving smile by the old man.  
“Could you describe briefly the island? It’s our first time here, we don’t know it at all.”  
  
  
“Oh, that’s an easy task!” he replied spryly. It seemed as if he wanted nothing else but being asked questions. “Namea is a tourist destination, if not THE tourist destination, through and through, and has no equals in this area of the sea; you won’t find anything alike for hundreds of miles! The life and economy of the whole island depend on the relaxation and well-being of the clients; without them we wouldn’t know how to make a living.” He seemed to be immersed in the role of tourist guide. Perhaps that was his real job, not just being a collector.   
“We don’t have any other attractions, sadly, but we’ve got plenty of beauty! We try to lure people of all social conditions: that’s why we accept anybody and boast of our prices, the cheapest of the whole New World! I’ll tell you more, the tax you just paid was the priciest here in Namea!” To those words, the heart and wallet of the navigator thumped out of love for that island.  
“Lastly, we’ve made a deal with the Marines.  Nobody can be arrested here, unless violent, obviously. You’ll see marines, but they can’t touch you. To be fair, there are always one or two coming here on holiday!” he revealed in a conspiratorial way. Nami breathed loudly out of relief; the whole crew laughed.  
  
  
But someone’s distinctive laughter wasn’t heard.  
“It seems that we’ve found a marvellous and welcoming place! We could take it easy, for once!” laughed Nami forcefully, walking towards the arch.  
“Nami…” called Chopper hesitantly.  
“No.” Smiled the navigator without turning, looking stubbornly at the city.  
“Nami, but-“ tried Chopper again.  
“Don’t say it, Chopper. I don’t want to hear it.” She replied abruptly and kept on marching briskly. “We’ve landed not even ten minutes ago!”  
“Nami!” insisted Chopper. “Luffy’s missing!”  
Nami fell on her knees, sobbing defeated.  
 

**_____________________**  
 

   
When they found their captain, miraculously he hadn’t gotten in any trouble. He was sitting at a table outside what seemed to be an hotel, under a big wooden canopy covered with blooming dangling plants, gulping down food without even stopping to breathe. Nami thanked all the existing gods; the place was very cheap, otherwise they would’ve paid a frightful amount of money.  
“You idiot, you had just eaten!” growled Sanji. Luffy laughed, spitting pieces of food while gesticulating towards the new dishes that the waiter was serving to him. The poor guy was out of breath; he probably didn’t have the chance to take a break since their captain had assaulted that place. Nami felt some sympathy for him.  
“Well,” stepped in Robin, looking at the inside of the building. “it seems like Luffy saved us the trouble of finding an accommodation.”  
Nami stretched her neck and caught sight of a counter, behind which stood an old lady with her hair bundled up in a tight bun. Behind her there was a big piece of furniture with dozens of compartments and in each one hanged a key. “We can stay here, I guess.” She sighed. “For today let’s try and get some rest and provisions and what else. Since we’re in a calm island we can take it easy for once. We should try and be as prepared as we can.” The navigator turned to face the crew, ignoring the awful sounds of their captain eating. “Tomorrow.” She said, her voice trembling with anticipation. “Tomorrow we’ll start the investigation.”  
 

____________________

  
   
Chopper climbed up a chair and let himself fall on it, sniffing. “What’s wrong with this island?!” he whined, fighting back tears with an angry motion. “Are their hearts made of stone or what?!”  
“Come on, Chopper… Don’t take it personally.” Usopp tried to comfort him, stroking his back. The small reindeer clenched his teeth, trying to conceal his emotions.  
“I assume that none of you had luck.” Said Robin.  
Usopp shook his head. “This island was way too _perfect_. All that glitters is not gold, I should’ve trusted my instinct!” he exclaimed, dramatic.  
“They didn’t tell us anything useful” stepped in Chopper, “and when we insisted, when we tried to make them understand that children were kidnapped, that there were parents waiting for them-“ He sniffed. “They told us that it was not theirs nor our problem! They told us to not go around asking questions anymore and get lost!” He blurted outraged. Franky gasped, taking out a handkerchief ridiculously small for his hands and drying his eyes. “How could they say such words?! They’ve got children too, I saw them!”  
“Not just that,” continued Usopp. “They even said that they would’ve called the Ma-Marines if we kept on poking in.” He said, unable to fight back a shiver.  
“In my modest opinion, this is absurd. Calling the Marines just for a few questions and answering rudely is outlandish!” said Brook. “There has to be more to the story. Maybe this island has secrets that its inhabitants don’t want uncovered.” There were a few nods in response.  
“Unluckily,” said Robin, lowering her voice, “I think that they’re already keeping an eye on us. Today Nami and I went around the island facilities with the fliers that Tashigi gave us. As soon as the locals saw them they looked at us in a way… calling it venomous is an understatement.” She said with a note of amusement in her voice. It seemed as if Sanji was personally insulted. How dared they glare at his muses?!

 

“When we left,” continued Robin, “I used my powers to see what they were doing and I saw them talking to other locals, even with the man that greeted us at the harbour. I saw clearly that they were mouthing the word _report_. I don’t think that we can stay here much longer.”  
Nami slammed her fist on the table. “Damn!” she growled. “We can’t go away empty handed! We haven’t discovered anything useful aside from the fact that the whole island is an accomplice in some way! They know something that we don’t and they want to make sure it stays this way!”  
“Nah, not the whole island.”  
Nami blinked, mimicked by the rest of the crew, and turned towards Luffy. “How?”  
“Not everyone on this island is bad.” Said the supernova, picking at his nose cheerfully. Sanji looked at him disgusted, together with Nami. “Today I went to beach-“  
“ _You went to the beach?!_ ” Screeched the navigator. There were so many layers of wrongness in that sentence that she didn’t even know where to begin with.  
“Yes, Zoro was there too!” A few disapproving glares were thrown at the swordsman, who was sleeping peacefully a few meters away. He didn’t even sit at the table, the caveman! “I wanted to explore the island and somehow we ended on a beach. There were many beach chairs and many families! Also a few funny kids and we played together. One of them had freckles and was just like Ace when he was young! A total brat, just like him!” laughed Luffy. “However, I don’t know who they took us for, but many people gathered around us! We even danced together, it was fun! A lady offered us ice-creams, she was from the North Blue and-“  
“Cut short!” snapped Nami.  
“Ah, right. Well, at a certain point I told myself that, since there were so many people there, we could’ve asked them something!” The crew held their breath. “But they didn’t know a thing! Actually, they seemed pretty worried when they knew of the kidnapped children. There were many mothers and they seemed sincerely sorry. They asked me many questions, but I didn’t know what to answer… And after Zoro said many children disappearances happened right on this island, everybody called their children and went away. They seemed worried to death! Was it okay to ask them, I wonder…” he asked, tilting his head to the side.  
Everyone at the table was silent.  
“Well,” started Nami, “This could mean that tourists are not accomplices, but potential victims. Unless they are excellent actors, it doesn’t take much to fool the captain.” She said, knocking on his forehead. It sounded empty. “But if they really were, well… Now they’ve been warned. Now that they’ll keep a better eye on their children it won’t be easy for whoever is scheming in the dark to snatch them away.” She smiled.  
“By the way,” said Franky, putting his handkerchief back in the pocket, “locals aside, I didn’t see anyone suspicious on this island. Given the high number of kidnappings and the population probably knowing way too well what’s going on, I thought that we would’ve been attacked as soon as we started asking around… or at least that our “enemy” would have made an appearance. And yet we still don’t know who’s behind all this.”  
Nami crossed her legs. It was true. Even though they earned the antipathy of the locals – without even destroying something, on top of it! – it didn’t seem like they were the ones behind the kidnappings. They knew about them… _They’re likely to be accomplices_ , thought the navigator angrily, making her knuckles go white from her tight grip. But nonetheless they seemed worried when they started asking around. As if they were afraid of something.  
Nami averted her gaze from the table, looking around lost in thoughts. She flinched when her eyes met those of the old lady behind the hotel counter. The nice lady, who just the day before had welcomed them warmly suggesting them the best places where to go shopping and that had gotten them stuck for more than one hour telling them stories of her beloved nephews, was looking at her like a lioness looks at a hyena getting closer to her cubs. If it weren’t for the façade of common courtesy, Nami was sure that she would have thrown them out the hotel. _We came to this island for a reason_. Nami’s eyes took on a sharp gleam. The old lady seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then her look went back to icy.  
“Take your things and bring them with you.” She murmured without taking her eyes off the woman. “We’ll continue our investigation. We’ll move as a group and stay ready to flee to the Sunny at any moment.” The whole crew followed the direction of her gaze and the air suddenly became more tense. “We’re no longer welcome at Namea.”

  
__________________

 

The afternoon was completely fruitless.  
The rumour seemed to have spread all around Alakai: the locals who crossed their path avoided them as if they were contagious, and this kept the Mugiwara crew from investigating. Even if they managed to talk with someone eye-to-eye, they were unlikely to answer.  
Meeting eyes with a local yet again, Nami couldn’t even open her mouth that the other had already ran inside his house, dragging his daughter with him as if they were about to take her away. The navigator stomped her feet in frustration. They wouldn’t get anywhere like that. They needed a lead.  
Usopp put his hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. Nami felt a bit of the tension that stiffened her back melting away and exhaled.  
“Oi, Luffy. Do you see something?” shouted Zoro, not caring about keeping a low profile in the slightest.  
“Mmm…” Luffy narrowed his eyes, trying to scout as far as possible. He was tangled to the top of a tower with his gummy limbs, a hand on his forehead to see better. “Well, I see houses. Many houses. Oh, and there’s the harbour over there!” Sanji rolled his eyes. “Oh?” exclaimed Luffy. “There’s a Marine ship! Yesterday it wasn’t there, right?”  
“A Marine ship?” repeated Zoro, resting his hands on his hips. “Could it be a problem?” he asked, turning towards the others.  
Sanji took his chin with his hand. “Well, _technically_ we haven’t done anything that could earn us a chase, _yet_. Maybe they think us dangerous and they want more patrols on the streets? Oh!” he exclaimed, a sudden epiphany striking him. “It could turn the tides in our favour!”  
Robin smiled, following his thinking. “The more Marines on the island, the more supervision in Namea. It will be more difficult for kidnappers to approach children or kidnap them. But even if it happened… since there’s but one harbour on the whole island and that in the sea around here there’s nothing that could hide a ship, all the traffic _must_ pass through Alakai. May it be goods transport or… human traffic.” She said, morbid.  
“This means that at the harbour there must be a ship hiding something!” concluded Nami thrilled. In the end they had a lead!

_Bang!_

A gunshot echoed through the air far away, followed by the echoes of many shouts. The pirate group stood on the lookout, taken aback by the sudden turn of events. In the distance, a small crowd of locals fled to their houses, terrified.  
Nami pulled out her Clima tact, wielding it with urge. “Luffy! What’s going on?!”  
“I don’t know! A lot of Marines are coming this way, they’re armed to the teeth and are shooting at something, but I can’t see a thing!” answered Luffy, confused.  
“A-a-a-an i-in-invisible enemy???” asked Usopp, frightened, clumsily trying to get a hold of Kabuto that kept on wriggling out of his sweaty hands. Chopper sought shelter behind Franky. He couldn’t bear loud noises.  
Luffy let himself fall in front of them, clenching his fists and assuming an offensive stance. The footsteps and the clatter were approaching. Then, suddenly, the clatter ended, replaced by gunshots and shouts.  
At last, they saw who they were chasing.  
In front of the mob of soldiers, two figures were running their hearts out. A hooded person, hunched, with a ripped floor-length cape and… a child. Luffy recognised him: he was the brat who looked like Ace, the one he played with! Lowering his fists, he smiled and waved with his arm. The child, noticing him, seemed to recognise Luffy and slowed down.

The figure noticed it and suddenly speeded up, grabbing the child and wrapping an arm around his waist to then keep on running. The movement swelled and lifted the cape revealing another child, crying as well, clutched to the chest of the figure and with a hand planted firmly on his back.  
“It’s him! The kidnapper!” shouted Usopp, seeing him first. He didn’t have the time to point at the figure that a hail of bullets rained in the same spot where the figure was running a moment before. Chopper chocked back a cry. Nami covered her mouth with her hand, shocked.  
“Up there!” cried Brook. Everybody looked up.  
The hooded figure had made a massive leap, landing on the roof of a house with a grunt. He had to crouch down to regain his balance, taking a better hold of the children he was carrying. The child who had just been caught peeked from under the cape, pulling it off his face with a movement of the head.  
“Onii-san!” he called, crying. The kidnapper seemed taken aback by the cry and looked down at the child. That distraction was about to cost him dearly; the Marines didn’t hold back and shot him. He dodged most of the bullets, but was hit in the leg. The kidnapper groaned in pain before leaping again, flying over the heads of Luffy and the others. From that angle they could catch a glimpse of the legs of the fugitive: long, willowy and fully wrapped in bandages that once must have been white, but that were now dirty and caked with dust. Those wrapped around his left leg were quickly turning red around the thigh. He didn’t wear shoes.  
“They almost hit the children!” shouted Nami, waking from her slumber. “Hey, you! There are children there! Hostages! DON’T SHOOT!” she cried gesticulating.  
The Marines noticed them. “That’s Straw Hat’s crew!” A group of soldiers detached from the group, heading towards them. The remaining Marines let go of their guns to use rifles, taking aim at the kidnapper and, consequentially, at the children.  
“For once I thought they were even being useful!” growled Sanji, ready to attack.  
“Nami!” Luffy called her, gesturing to get closer with his hand. Nami looked at him in the eyes and nodded. “We can’t let them be! They shoot kidnappers and children alike!” exclaimed Chopper, trembling from head to toes.  
Nami disassembled her Clima Tict, inserting it in her belt loops. “Sanji, Zoro, Brook, hold them back! You can do anything you want with them for all I care, but don’t let them get to the children!” she shouted. “Robin, Franky, Usopp; please, get the Sunny ready. We don’t know what’s about to happen, we’ll probably have to get away.”  
“Do I get a Coup de Burst ready?” asked Franky while seating Robin on his shoulder.  
Nami bit her own lip. “I don’t know… Be ready for anything, we’ll have to be fast.” She pleaded with her eyes.  
Robin smiled and nodded.  
Luffy stretched his arms towards the bell tower he had jumped off from not even a minute before, grasping it and leaving his arms stretched. “Nami, come on!”  
Nami put her hair up, then ran towards her captain. “Chopper, you come too!” she shouted, taking the reindeer in her arms. “Those bastards could have shot one of the children!” Chopper seemed taken aback for a second, then he nodded, determined, and clutched to her arm.  
Nami hugged her captain from behind, making sure to have a solid grip on his shirt. “Let’s go, captain!”  
“Roger!” replied Luffy excited, ready to take off. He hesitated for a moment.  
Nami blinked. “Wha-“  
“ _Gold_ Roger.” Nami looked at him outraged. Chopper was shocked.  
“Do you think this is the right tim-“ Luffy let go, propelling them in the air. Both of them clutched to the guy for dear life.

Nami tried to bring her head forward, narrowing her eyes even thought they were watery due to the lashing wind. Luffy’s hat flew off his head, slapping against her forehead. If it weren’t for the lace fastening the hat to his neck, it would’ve surely flown away. She clutched tighter at Luffy, who was laughing and screeching like an idiot, and looked around trying to pinpoint the kidnapper. Chopper was clinging onto her, terrorised.  
A movement caught her attention. “Luffy, down there!” she shouted, pointing with her arm.  
Luffy followed her finger. The hooded figure was climbing down a roof, probably to vanish in the labyrinth of streets and leave them behind. Where were the children? Did he drop them somewhere? She tightened her grip on Luffy, glancing worriedly at the streets under them, but she didn’t see anybody.  
Luffy wound up his arm, then let it spring forward and grasped the top of the roof from where the kidnapper had just climbed down. They all felt the sprint forward, the air whipping them again. The supernova tried to cushion the landing in some way, but they all rolled down the roof anyway, breaking a few tiles in the process. Nami gritted her teeth. So much for the element of surprise. She hurriedly helped Chopper get on his feet, then they both followed Luffy and jumped off the roof.  
Nami got up, her hand ready over her Clima Tact. They were in an alley and were blocking the exit. In front of them, after weeks of researches and frustration, stood the kidnapper.

But the scene she was seeing was different from what she had pictured it in her mind hundreds of times. Their opponent didn’t emanate cruelty and viciousness from his every pore. He seemed to emanate more weariness and despair. He stood with his back against the wall, bended forward, a knee resting on the ground and the other leg, wounded, left limply outstretched. Blood had drenched the bandages, dripping down and gathering in a small puddle below him. Chopper flinched at the sight.  
The cape was almost wide open, leaving only the hood to conceal the figure’s face. Under it, he was wearing a simple green t-shirt that Nami guessed to be green – difficult to say with all that dirt – and short jeans. Thought not curvy as Nami or Robin, the navigator flinched when she understood that who was standing in front of them was without any doubt a girl. She kept her arms outstretched breathing heavily and the children were behind her.  
They were shaking like leaves, clutched to the hem of her cape, and tried to hide behind her back. Nami blinked, confused. Were they trying to _hide_ from them? _Behind their_ – at this point she wasn’t even that sure of it – _kidnapper?_ Something was off. Chopper seemed to agree with her and kept on observing the situation, hesitant.  
“Ehi!” Luffy stepped closer. The girl stiffened visibly.  
One of the children popped up from under the cape. His freckled cheeks were still wet with tears, but he was curious. “Oh!” he said as soon as he saw Luffy. “The pirate!”  
To those words, the girl let out what sounded like a snarl of exasperation and rage. She clutched her teeth and stood on her feet with a groan. Her left leg trembled noticeably when she rested her weight on it and kept on doing so until the girl had raised between them and the children. Unconcerned of the blood streaming down her leg, she raised her fists ready to fight, breathing heavily. At her wrists, two thick bangles glimmered dimly.  
The child clung to her healthy leg. “No, no! He’s good! He was the one warning mama that there were bad people kidnapping children!” To those words, even the other child popped up from under the cape. “It’s true, it’s him!” he confirmed, recognising Luffy as well.  
The girl, taken aback, looked down at them. She lowered slightly her shoulders, hesitant.  
“Hey.” Luffy called her with a smile. The girl brought her eyes back on them. “You were shielding them, right?”  
Nami had drawn the same conclusion. For the second time that day, she put away her weapon, sighing. “Sorry. We thought you the kidnapper, that’s why we chased you.”  
The other girl seemed to relax as well. She sighed out of relief, dropping her offensive stance and resting a hand against the wall to avoid putting weight on the wounded leg. “That’s good.” She croaked. Nami narrowed her eyes. That was the voice of someone who hadn’t drank for a long time – and hadn’t talked for even more.  
“If you’re not the one behind all this, then who-” She didn’t have the time to formulate her question; the girl had a sort of spasm and fell down.  
“Oi!” shouted Luffy. He rushed over to her keeping her up by her shoulder. The hood fell off, revealing a face that, though young, had endured hunger and her fair hair was dirty and cobbled together. “Oi, what is it?” Luffy shook her, worried.  
The children clung to her arms, shaking her as well. “Onee-chan!”  
Chopper shook out of it and went in doctor mode. “Luffy, lay her down!” he said while hurrying to her side. “She’s malnourished.” Luffy looked at him as if he had said that there was a Buster Call incoming. “Worn out… and dehydrated.” Chopper ran his hand on her forehead. “It seems she’s got a fever too… and that wound doesn’t help.” He said, looking at her leg. He was about to stretch his paw towards it when the girl coughed, regaining consciousness.  
He met Luffy’s gaze, looking at him with watery eyes. The supernova smiled, encouraging. “Don’t worry. Chopper is our doctor!” he looked at her with eyes full of pity. “How long since your last meal?” She couldn’t hold back a smile. “A while…” she exhaled. Luffy seemed on the verge of tears. He turned towards Nami with a determined look.  
“No.”  
“But Nami! Look at her, she said she hasn’t eaten for a month!”  
“She didn’t say that!”  
“You’re a heartless being!” he blamed her. “What would Sanji say if he knew it?!”  
“We don’t even know who she is!”  
“Not tr- Ah. Right, it’s true. Hey, you!” he said to the girl. “What’ your name?”  
The girl didn’t answer. Her eyes were open, but she seemed half-asleep; she wasn’t there with her mind. Nami asked the children. “Do you know her name?”  
The two shook their heads. “We walked away to pee and they took us away… We were at the harbour when she came out of nowhere and rescued us. She only asked us where our parents were, then we sprinted off.”  
“And where are your parents?” Asked Nami. Chopper finally removed the bandages wrapped around her leg. The freckled child looked at Luffy. “They’re staying at the resort where we met yesterday… We were heading there. He’s my brother, Nird.” He said, getting closer to the other child. “While we were running he fell and got hurt… She quickly picked him up.” He started crying, looking at Luffy. “She saved us- They shot at us and she was hit for helping us and we don’t even know her name… She doesn’t know our names either!” he sobbed.  
Nami kneeled down, hugging him. “There, there. What’s your name?” she asked sweetly.  
“N-Nafar.”  
“Good Nafar, you’ve been very brave. Don’t worry, we’ll bring you back to your parents. But tell me something… Who did it?” she asked him, taking him by his shoulders and looking at him in the eyes. “Who kidnapped you?”  
Nafar looked at her, eyes filled with tears. “The same people who were aiming at us, I think… I didn’t see them because when they caught us they put bags over our heads… And when Onee-san rescued us she didn’t let us turn, she told us to run and never look back.”  
Nami gasped. _The same people who were chasing them were the one who kidnapped them?! This means …_ She covered her mouth with her hand.  
“Guys.” Called them Chopper. “This girl needs medical treatment, asap. The bullet must be extracted, and I don’t have the equipment to do it here.” He said, worried.  
“Will she d-di-die?” sobbed Nird.  
Chopper bit his own lip. “I don’t know. The bullet is a particularly delicate area… and she was already that weak. It’s astounding how she could run away in her conditions.”  
The clatter of the fight had got closer. They could hear the voices of their comrades calling them. The sound of shouts and gunshots were tearing the air.  
The girl had a spasm. Luffy lowered his head to look at her; she lifted a trembling arm and grasped his vest, looking at him in the eyes. She seemed to barely have the strength to keep her head up.  
“The chi-chil…dren.” She wheezed. “D-don’t let them… wa…tch.”  
“Eh?” asked the two children together, getting closer. “Onee-chan, are you awake?” asked Nafar, sniffing.  
Luffy looked back at her with a serious face. Then he nodded.  
The girl gave him a half smile, then she relaxed, laying down again.  
“Nami, Chopper, help me bring them on the roof.” Said Luffy, standing up.  
Chopper nodded, re-wrapping hurriedly the bandages around her leg.  
Nami shouted the retreat aloud to let Zoro and the others hear it while Chopper, once on the roof, turned into his quadruped form, allowing the thrilled kids to mount him.  
Luffy took the unconscious girl in his arms and took off her cape, which had become nothing but a bother, letting it fall down in the alley. “Crew, let’s go back to the Sunny!” He shouted, before sprinting off.  
While running at his side, Nami couldn’t help but glancing several times at the girl he was carrying. Who was she?  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translator's note: At the dawning of a day of destruction, here I post. R.I.P Tumblr.
> 
> Many thanks to our English Editor, Kattenprinsen, who was kind enough to beta read this translation and the ones that will come in the future. If you're interested, go check her Ao3 profile: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kattenprinsen/pseuds/kattenprinsen
> 
> In the hope that you may like this work, enjoy the second chapter of Barefoot!
> 
> If you want to keep track with my translations, namely Barefoot, you can follow me on Tumblr as [DanceLikeAnHippogriff](https://dancelikeanhippogriff.tumblr.com/). Use "#translation" or "#barefoot" to find the updates among all my junk!


	3. Tiptoeing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s note: What has two thumbs, still hasn’t written 10 chapters but still uploads? *points at herself* Nereisi! ‘sup?  
> Jokes aside, today’s a special day. Today is the day I get my freedom back. TODAY IS THE DAY MY EXAMS ARE OVER! I still can’t believe it and I feel like crying, but the moment has finally come. Though I still don’t know the results of my last three exams, but at this point I don’t even care. I wanted to practice some self-care (for me and you all) with another chapter, watching my creation grow and – if everything goes well – getting some feedback. Coming soon: me struggling with two jobs, study sessions, exams (otherwise I’ll end up outside prescribed time, HALP) and the translations for my other two EFP profiles. But at the beginning of July I’m moving to a new house in a SINGLE room (thank God) so I’ll have more spare time to write. And believe me when I say that I’m not lacking drive, especially after reading the last One Piece manga chapters.  
> A thank you for all the people who waited and for who will wait for me in the future, I’ll give my best not to leave you hanging for millennia until the next upload (which I’m starting to write right after posting this one!). I hope you’ll enjoy the chapter, have a good reading!

The landing on the Sunny was rough.  
Chopper managed to keep his balance using his four-legged form, landing without any problem with Nird and Nafar on his back. Nami had to cling to Luffy at the last moment, forgetting about the guy’s low self-love and ending on the wooden planks, tumbling. The captain remembered at the last second that he was holding a wounded girl and tried to cushion his fall as best as he could, without much success, tumbling poorly on the deck.  
  
Franky and the others had made it to the Sunny, but defending it against the Marines turned out to be difficult since there was a soldiers-regurgitating Marine ship docked in the same harbour. They managed to let Zoro, Brook and Sanji on board before hastily setting sail, choosing a long-distance defence based on cannons and Usopp’s attacks. The remaining members of the crew fled from roof to roof, aimed at by their chasers from the streets. When they made it to the coast, the Sunny was already too far away. Luffy was about to outstretch his arm towards the ship, but was stopped by Chopper, who made him intake the condition of the girl in his arms: she was too weak and beaten up to bear such an impact. It was only thanks to Nami, who created a Milky Road with her Clima tact, that they managed to cover a great deal of distance between them and the ship, having to reach it with a jump anyway.  
  
“Nami-swan!” Sanji rushed to her side, helping her on her feet. “Damn knucklehead! Can’t you be less reckless?! Nami-swan got hurt!” he screeched at Luffy, pointing at the cuts and scrapes covering the navigator’s arms and legs.  
“Chopper, how is she holding up?” said Luffy, ignoring him. He had laid the girl on the deck as gently as he could, glancing guiltily at her wounded leg. The reindeer, back to his normal form, went closer to examine it. “You could’ve been less rough in your landing, but it seems that her conditions are the same as before. She has to undergo surgery as soon as possible though, she’s losing too much blood.” He said wriggling his blue nose, worried.  
“But… what about these children?” asked Usopp, noticing the newcomers who had dismounted from Chopper’s back. “Are they the ones from before? You rescued them!”  
“Who’s that snow-like blossom?!” howled Sanji when he saw the object of Luffy’s focus. “Why is she wounded? You’d better not be the one who hurt her, you-!”  
  
“Why are those brats on the ship? Couldn’t you send them back to their parents?” growled Zoro, not happy of the whole situation at all.  
“How could we?! We were being chased!” Nami shut him up irritated, getting closer to the bulwark. She couldn’t fight back a scream when a few cannon balls hissed by, smashing into the water nearby the Sunny and missing them by an inch. “Chopper, she’ll have to be operated later. They’re leaving the port; we must lose them with a Coup de Burst! Franky?”  
“Ah?” Franky stopped showing off in front of the two ecstatic Nird and Nafar. “A-Aw! Yes, everything’s superrr-ready, I’ll go straight away!” he said running off.  
“Luffy, take her below deck… the infirmary would be better. Beds there are nailed to the decks, if we leave her there she won’t get hurt when we leave.” Said Chopper. Luffy nodded with a serious look. He kneeled to pick her up again – this time as carefully as he could – and hurried towards the door. Chopper opened it for him, turning to the little brothers and signalling to follow him.  
  
When the door closed, Zoro turned to the navigator, irritated. “So, what’s all this about? Who’s that girl? Why are those damn brats on this fucking ship?”  
“She’s the kidnapper, right?” said Usopp. Robin and the others looked at him, surprised, and he shrunk in his shoulders. “I-I mean… right? Those were her clothes, weren’t they? And those bandaged legs… the wound…” he muttered.  
“How couldn’t I notice it?! Those perfect and willowy legs, beautiful and recognisable though covered… Why didn’t I think about it before?!” exclaimed Sanji, taking his head in between his hands. Zoro rolled his eyes.  
  
“Now it’s not the time for chitchats!” shouted Nami. “Fleeing, now; explanations, later!” she said, holding herself on the mainmast with all her might.  
“Escape emergency system, functioning! Three…” Shouted Franky.  
“Hold on tight!” Cried Nami.  
“Two…”  
Robin made a few hands sprout for additional safety. Zoro jabbed Wado in the planks.  
“One…”  
Nami shut her eyes close.  
“Coup de Burst!” shouted Franky.  
The Thousand Sunny reared up, suddenly springing forward with an outstanding thrust.  
In few, insignificant instants Namea became invisible, not even a dot at the edge of the horizon.  
  
________________  
  
  
The whole Sunny was violently shaken from top to bottom, when the ship impacted with the water again. In the infirmary, Chopper kept his Guard Point form until the Sunny stopped shaking, pressing the two children against the wall with his soft body to prevent them from banging against something. Thanks to Franky’s foresight while planning the Thousand Sunny, everything in that room was nailed to the planks; even a few furniture compartments were screwed on the inside to prevent vials and other fragile objects from breaking. Beds were nailed down too, but Luffy barely had the time to lye the girl down that Franky shouted the notice through the intercom. Luffy had to literally thrown himself on her, clumsily pinning her down on the bed with his body, to prevent her from being thrown against a wall or on the floor; Chopper dealt with the children.  
  
“Everything’s all right, we’ve landed.” He reassured them, turning back to his normal form.  
“Landed?” asked Nafar, confused. “Did we fly?”  
“Ehm… sort of.” Replied hurriedly the doctor. He didn’t feel like explaining that they had covered a very long way using a propulsion that was, actually, a big fart.  
“Wow, cool!” exclaimed the younger of the two. Chopper smiled at him nervously. Since they used the Coup de Burst, Namea had surely disappeared from the horizon, but Nird and Nafar’s parents were still on that island. Chopper tightened his lips, shaking his head. He would have thought about it later, now there were more urgent matters that needed his attention.  
  
The doctor rushed at Luffy’s side, climbing on a chair near the bed to see better.  
“How is she, Chopper?”  
  
The reindeer frowned. “She must undergo surgery now. She was already too weak and she’s losing too much blood. First of all, I must extract the bullet.” He turned to Luffy. “Take the children away, please. And remember to take a shower and change your clothes, you’re covered in blood.”  
Luffy nodded, following his instructions without uttering a word.  
  
Chopper had never said it aloud, but the way Luffy trusted him so blindly, especially in the medical field, moved him. He hopped down the chair to go wash his hands; he was surprised once more by the peculiarity of his captain. An equal relationship like theirs wasn’t common. There were very few crews that could boast of having such a bond with their captain; calling him or her by name, sleeping together and giving them instructions. Maybe they were even the only ones. Chopper smiled. He wouldn’t have changed his crew for anything else in the world.  
  
Chopper took the briefcase with the surgical equipment and climbed up the chair again. He looked at the girl’s face. She had a slender build, it showed, but the evident starve had stretched the skin on her cheekbones. Her full lips were dried out. Her hair – that Chopper found out to be white – was messy and dirty. Overall, both her and her clothes were covered up with a layer of dust and dirt that suggested a long time without a shower. He wiggled his nose. Once finished, he would ask Nami and Robin to wash her. It would make her feel better and it’d have lowered the risk of infections for her wounds. He glanced at her arms and legs. She definitively had to eat. Sanji would be informed soon.  
  
He hopped directly on the bed, putting the briefcase on the chair and opening it. He turned, glancing at the wounded leg. He frowned. She was losing too much blood, soaking the bed and sheets. Chopper wondered how close the bullet went to the femoral artery. Too close, perhaps.  
Trying to ignore the ferrous stench assaulting his nostrils, the small reindeer got down to business. He had a job to do.  
  
_____________________  
  
  
Chopper let himself fall down, worn out. The surgery didn’t last much, but it had been tiring. The bullet had almost grazed the thigh bone, without touching it, luckily, and it had stopped a few millimetres away from the femoral artery. If it had reached it, she would have probably bled to death and Chopper wouldn’t have been able to do anything: the femoral artery was as important as the carotid one; it would have been almost like having a blade to her throat.  
Now that the surgery was over and that the suture was complete, he could rest. Though the girl was still weakened, it wasn’t a life-threatening emergency anymore. She gave off the idea to be very tough since she could flee, run and jump on roofs in those conditions and while carrying two people on top of it. With a deep sigh, the small reindeer stood up on his feet and trotted to the bedside.  
  
Though she had fainted, Chopper anesthetised her anyway – if she had woken up in the middle of the surgical operation, it would have been terrible – and to operate her more freely he had to unfold part of the bandages wrapped around the wounded leg. Since he was focusing on his task, he hadn’t given it much attention before, but he had seen something. He reached out his hoof for the hem of the bandage, unveiling the upper part of her thigh. There, on the outer side of her leg, there was a black tangled tattoo standing out on her skin.  
  
Curious, Chopper continued to free the leg from the bandages. They were dirty and creased; rather than dressing a wound, they seemed to have been used solely to hide something. As he unfolded the bandages, he noticed that the tattoo continued along her leg, the only mark on her tanned skin. Once the whole leg was freed, Chopper checked the limb thoroughly. No wound, scrape, cut or scar of any sort. The only thing decorating the outer side of her leg, from the thigh to her heel, was that tattoo. The doctor tilted his head to the side, confused. He was relieved that there wasn’t any wound – those dirty bandages would have worsened the situation – but… what was their use, then?  
  
He glanced at the other leg and tried to unfold the bandages tightened around her right foot. An ink spiral appeared from under the cloth. Chopper went close to her right leg, unrolling the bandages, and revealed the same identical tattoo on her skin, twin and symmetrical with the one on her left leg. Yet again, no wounds whatsoever.  
  
Chopper picked up all the dirty bandages, jumped off the bed and threw them away. He didn’t know why they were there, but if she needed some he could’ve given her clean ones from his compartment. Surely they wouldn’t be of any help, dirty and ripped as they were. The reindeer turned, glancing at the blood-soaked bed, the stained sheets and the battered girl. Whoever she was, she was in need of a bath and clean clothes.  
He scampered to the door, but as soon as he opened it he found out that he hadn’t been alone: Luffy was laying on the floor, asleep; Nami was sitting next to him and Sanji was marching back and forth along the corridor with despair in his eyes.  
When they saw the door opening, the two girls focused all their attention on him. “How is she?” asked Nami. Luffy woke up at the sound and immediately fixed his onyx gaze on him. Sanji suddenly materialised next to the door, trying to catch a glimpse of the inside of the infirmary, without daring to interrupt his muse.  
  
“The surgery went well and there were no complications, so… she’ll live.” To those words, Sanji and Luffy sighed out of relief. “She’s been very lucky, though. The bullet missed the femoral artery but by a few millimetres and she has lost a lot of blood. What’s more, it seems she hasn’t been eating for days; she needs food and rest.”  
A shadow darkened Sanji’s face. “I’ll go cook.”  
“No, Sanji, wait.” Chopper interrupted him. “Right now she’s unconscious due to the anaesthetics. She’ll sleep for at least one day. Until she wakes up, I’ll administer intravenously fluids and nutrients to her.” He sighed.  
“Now what?” asked Luffy, glancing at the bed.  
“We can only wait for her to wake up spontaneously.”  
The words of the little doctor were followed by a brief silence.  
  
“It’s about time we gather and talk about what we’ve discovered.” Said Nami, resolved.  
Chopper nodded. “Just give me a minute, I want to move her to another bed.” He said, turning into his humanoid form. “I don’t want her to sleep in her own blood, she lost a lot of it. I’ll administer her an IV and I’ll be right there.”  
“All right, see you at the canteen then!” exclaimed Luffy. “The children have already eaten and went to bed, but I’m so hungry I could die!” He said, winking at Sanji’s direction.  
The poor cook rolled his eyes. “You talk as if you haven’t eaten for three days.”  
Luffy pouted. “I haven’t eaten for three hours, it’s still terrible!”  
  
___________________  
  
  
“Well, here we are.” Started Nami, sitting at the table. A steaming dish immediately materialised under her nose, followed by a subtle scent of cologne and cigarette. The navigator smiled observing Sanji, who was serving the others – Robin right after her – before himself.  
“Yeah, here we are!” repeated Luffy, digging in.  
“What a day, right?” sighed Franky, relaxing his back and laying against the chair.  
“Yes…” exhaled Usopp, following his example.  
“So, what the hell happened?” said Zoro, impatient. “We leave you and you were chasing the kidnapper, then we find the children and said kidnapper aboard.”  
“Who apparently is a girl!” chirped Sanji, interrupting him.  
Zoro growled, gathering all his patience to not slice the sea cook. “… The point is: what the fuck happened? Why did you bring her here? And why are those damn _brats_ aboard?!” he shouted, slamming his beer mug on the table.  
“Calm down.” Hissed Nami. “First of all, that girl isn’t the kidnapper we were after.”  
“Yeah!” exclaimed Luffy cheerfully, biting into a chicken leg. “She was _protecting_ the children! And she thought that it was _us_ who wanted to harm them. You should have seen her, ready to fight the three of us!” He said gesticulating with the chicken bone in his hand. “She was even wounded! I like her! I can’t wait for her to wake up!” he laughed.  
“Mh.” Said Zoro. “Fighting one on three wounded and weak as she was? Sure.” He said, sarcastic.  
“In fact, truth to be told, she fainted a few seconds later.” Stepped in Chopper, holding his fruit juice with his hooves. Zoro shrugged as if to say _Told you_.  
“She was wounded and hadn’t eaten for days.” Snarled Sanji. “And she was shot. She lost a lot of blood.”  
“I would’ve made it out even in a worse situation.” Huffed Zoro, unimpressed.  
  
“Girl aside, we found out another thing. And it’s not pleasant.” Said Nami, serious. The others listened to her carefully. “We know who tried to kidnap Nird and Nafar. And who kidnapped all the other children.”  
“Who is it?” asked Brook, putting down his cup of tea.  
Nami inhaled deeply. “The Marine.”  
A glacial silence fell on the table.  
  
“W-what?” muttered Usopp, shocked.  
“That explains why they shot the girl without caring much for the children who were with her.” Said Robin, taking her chin in between her fingers. “They may even have done that on purpose, to shut them up. To prevent them from telling what happened…”  
“Nird and Nafar don’t know who tried to kidnap them. They don’t know they were Marines.” Said Nami.  
  
“Longlegs didn’t want them to know. She told me to not let them watch.” gnawed Luffy.  
Usopp tilted his head. “Longlegs?”  
“Well, we don’t know her name. Until she wakes up, we’ll call her that!” Nami rolled her eyes.  
  
“I don’t know why she asked that to us, but until she wakes up, we’d better honour her request.” Said Chopper.  
“Agreed.” A few heads turned towards her, amazed expressions decorating their faces. Nami sighed. “Listen, I don’t like the idea of a complete stranger aboard as much as you do, but even though we don’t know her identity, we know two things:” she explained. She raised her index. “First, the most obvious and clear one: she protected the children. Which means, _in theory_ , that she’s not with our enemies. She freed them and they were fleeing together from the Marine. Plus, as Luffy has underlined before,” the guy raised his head from the dish, curious. “she was ready to fight to defend them.”  
Chopper lowered his gaze. “In spite of her conditions.”  
  
Nami nodded. “This strengthens the theory that she’s not an enemy. I think that she could even become an ally. Which leads me to the second point.” She added, raising another finger. “She might know something about the kidnappings. Who was behind them, their objective and whatnot.”  
Franky crossed his bulky mechanical arms, thinking about it. “Well. Yes, it could be.”  
  
“Given your information, it could be more than a simple chance.” Said Robin, crossing her legs. “I talked with the children before. They assured me they didn’t know… Miss Longlegs” She gave in, smiling to her captain. Luffy flashed her a blinding smile. “not even after having seen her without her hooded cape. How could she know about the kidnapping if she didn’t know them?” She spoke her thoughts aloud. “She knew beforehand that something was going to happen. She knew where and when to strike, and the timetable of her enemies.”  
  
“She didn’t even seem that surprised of _who_ her enemies were.” Pointed out Chopper. “I mean, we were surprised when we found out that the Marines were behind the kidnappings. But she seemed to know it already…”  
“And she said to not tell Nird and Nafar!” insisted Luffy, frowining. “And we won’t!”  
“Yes, yes, sure.” Told him Nami. “Anyway, it should be evident why I’m not totally against letting her stay. She must tell us what she knows.”  
  
“Well, until she wakes up, she won’t go anywhere. She can’t stand and we’re in the middle of the ocean!” muttered Chopper, a little defensive. Even though Nami didn’t want her aboard, his conscience as a doctor prevented him from abandoning a wounded person in need. Plus, he liked her. She didn’t seem like a bad person.  
“Mh.” Grumbled Zoro. “ _She_ could actually be useful for our investigation. But what about the brats? What do we do with them?”  
Nami looked at him and raised her brow. “What do you mean by _What do we do with them_? What do you want to do? Eat them?”  
“Nah, that’s _your_ hobby, ugly witch.”  
Sanji jumped on the chair as if he was stung on the butt. “Fuckin-“ He was interrupted by Luffy and Nami’s loud laughs. “I had forgotten about it!” wheezed Luffy in between tears. Nami couldn’t speak; she was holding her belly and slamming her palm on the table, laughing like crazy. Zoro grinned.  
“G-guys… Everything all right?” said Usopp, hesitant. The three of them turned towards him, momentarily silent. Usopp looked at them in confusion. “What am I missing o-“ “BUHAUHAUAHUAUHAUA” the two of them burst out laughing, together with Zoro, who slapped his palm on his forehead. “Traumas! The real traumas!” he laughed, without being able to stop. “I feel sorry for those brats!”  
“But if you were the one terrorizing them!” accused him Nami.  
  
The rest of the crew looked at each other worriedly. Had the mental health definitely abandoned the Thousand Sunny?  
“Ha… Ha…” Nami tried to calm down, inhaling deeply. “God, I needed it.” She said with her voice still trembling, wiping away a tear with her index.  
  
“Seriously: those children can’t stay here.” Said Zoro, grabbing the neck of the bottle.  
“We won’t dump them on the first island we find, poor children! They are the victims of an attempted kidnapping, they don’t know where their parents are!” exclaimed Chopper, outraged. Franky pulled out his handkerchief again. “I hate to agree with moss-head,” stepped in Sanji “but a pirate ship is no place for brats who have nothing to share with us.”  
  
Robin cleared her throat. “While taking them to their room, I talked a bit with them.” She said after a moment of silence. “They told me the name of their island. I checked the maps, it’s not that far away from here. According to my estimations, it should be a few days of navigation far at the most; with a smart navigator like ours, however… It could take even less.” She concluded, winking at Nami’s direction.  
Nami brightened up, throwing her arms around her neck. “Thanks, Robin! We can always count on you!” Nami exclaimed, rubbing her head on her shoulder. “I’ll go set our course as soon as we’re finished!”  
The archaeologist smiled, calm.  
  
“It’s settled, then!” said Luffy, concluding. He laughed, crossing his arms behind his head. “I hope that Longlegs will wake up soon; Nird and Nafar will surely want to thank her before going back home.”  
Brook gulped down his glass of milk, then took his violin which he had left on a chair. “Let me say that, after such a day, there’s nothing better than some cheerful music to complement the meal! Yohohohohohoho!” he exclaimed, and took the bow welcomed by shouts and cheers.  
  
The room was filled by music and laughter, occasionally interrupted by a thump whenever someone drank too much and fell asleep on the table. At the moment, the victims were Usopp and Sanji. Nami watched in amusement as Franky, dead drunk, tried to offer Robin a celery stick. In his mind clouded by the booze it was probably a flower. She didn’t talk and, with her usual smile on her lips and a bit of her power, she stood up and accompanied the carpenter to his room. Her patience seemed to know no limits.  
  
Nami looked back at her beer mug, which was still quite full. Lost in her thoughts, she observed how the liquid inside moved and trembled following the vibrations of the table.  
  
Now that she had a quiet moment for herself, guilt was gripping her guts. Sure, they had saved two children and were bringing them back home. Sure, they had someone aboard that most likely had important information for the good outcome of their operation. However, they couldn’t put an end to what was happening in Namea. The Marines wouldn’t act for a while, that was sure. The ruckus they had caused and Luffy’s warning to the families would have ensured that the first ones wouldn’t act and the seconds would have checked even more on their kids. That was her hope, at least. After all, Nird and Nafar were kidnapped right after Luffy’s warning.  
Nami sighed. If it hadn’t been for that afternoon’s fight, they would have been able to stay in Namea a little longer to find out something useful, maybe the right amount of time to get in the way of the mastermind orchestrating those kidnappings. They had to flee instead, and there was nothing that could prevent kidnappings on that damn island now.  
  
“Don’t overthink it.” Grumbled a grouchy voice. Nami raised her gaze to meet a single eye across the table. “Focus on what we have now, instead of thinking fruitlessly about what was.” Nami tried to open her mouth to answer back, but Zoro was quicker. “Would you have let those children get kidnapped?” He raised a green eyebrow. “Hypothetically wounded or killed?” The navigator closed her mouth, pursing her lips in a thin line. “Exactly that. Cut it with your bullshit and drink up.” He said, immediately following his own advice right after. Nami made a bitter smile. She didn’t like to admit it, but at times that brainless gorilla had some nice thinking. She couldn’t go back anyway, so she might as well look ahead. The navigator sighed and grabbed her beer, diving her lips in, unaware of the smiles on the present’s faces – those who were still awake, at least.  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
The light of the new day saw the crew sleep in to sober up the hangover of the night before. Among the few people awake there was Chopper; his accomplice: the fruit juice, so he wouldn’t have been able to get drunk anyway. The small reindeer took his time to wake up, stretching and sitting up. He glanced at the other beds and saw a pile of bodies and limbs tangled up. A soft snore reached his ears. Chopper smiled, rubbing his eyes with his arm to remove the last signs of sleep off his face. He jumped off his bed and trotted cautiously towards the door, closing it trying to make as less noise as possible.  
Since he wasn’t that hungry – he was still full from the night before – he decided to go and check on his new patient first.  
  
When he had visited her the previous night before going to sleep, she was stable, but checking again wouldn’t hurt. He headed to the infirmary and walked in, opening the thick curtains to let the light in. He went to her bedside and found her still unconscious, laid on the bed next to the porthole where he had placed her after the surgical operation. Chopper pulled the sheets aside to check the wound. He had to suture it with eight stitches; if she had pulled them while moving in her sleep it would’ve been a problem. Chopper reached out with his paw, carefully lifting the gauze of the medication. Luckily everything was in place.  
  
Chopper sighed, relieved. “Good, good.” He repeated to himself. He changed the bandages, and then tucked her in. While he was checking her vital signs – that strangely and luckily were more than okay, though feeding her was still a problem – a peculiar smell reached his nostrils. A strong smell of… woods, in a way. Musky.  
  
Chopper blinked, wriggling his blue nose, distressed. He was an animal and his companions were pirates traveling by sea. He was used to the eventual… smells that a body could emanate. He wasn’t fussy. But he liked to think that his crew was made of relatively clean people, included himself. And hanging with Robin and Nami he had the idea that girls shouldn’t smell. Feeling uneased for that unpleasant situation, Chopper resolved to ask the two girls to wash his patient as soon as he’d meet them. It’d have benefit her under many aspects.  
Before going away, he opened the window to let some fresh air in. He glances one last time at the girl, before quietly scampering away from the infirmary.  
  
_____________________________  
  
  
Sanji dragged himself on wearily towards the kitchen, his head almost bursting. He could feel his brain pulsing against his skull and the noises echoing in his ears surely weren’t helping. He didn’t even put on his jacket, settling for a shirt and a tie loosely tied around his neck.  
  
He couldn’t remember who helped him reach his bed – the memories of the night before were clear only up to a certain point. He probably fell asleep. On the table. Like an idiot. His face burned out of shame and frustration. One could think that being raised by a former pirate, spending most of his life together with a bunch of rogues and being the sea cook of a pirate ship for more than three years would make him alcohol- and hangover-proof, if not at least tough. And yet, in spite of all, he was one of the lightweights of the crew. He drank lightly his beer mugs, but when they became four or five, well… He started to have a few problems.  
  
He scratched his nape, opening the door of the galley. It had been a long time since he slept that much in the morning. To the others it wasn’t late, but to him, the sea cook, who was used to wake up at the crack of dawn, it was like betraying his job and the trust of his companions. They couldn’t step in late in the morning without anything ready on the table. A kitchen without a cook had no reason to be.  
  
He warily looked around before typing the fridge code. He grabbed his apron, putting it on swiftly. He started bustling about with the pans, hoping that his muses hadn’t woken up yet. If they entered there without anything ready waiting for them to appease their morning appetite he’d have dishonoured his passion and profession. He hurriedly stuck a cigarette in between his lips, without lighting it, to help it ease the thoughts swirling in his mind.  
  
He reminded that they had also kids aboard, so he started making pancakes and some other sweets for them. They were unexpected hosts, but he wouldn’t let them starve.  
  
He managed to get everything ready in record time. Sanji congratulated himself, slipping his hand in his pocket to grab the lighter. He had surely earned that damn cigarette. He turned to lean on the counter, giving his shoulders to the cooker, and was about to light it. In that precise moment, the door opened and Nami, Robin and the two children walked in… and Chopper. Chopper, who looked at him like every time he saw him smoking: like a soaked, abandoned and kicked puppy. Sanji’s hand trembled, but his was a burning desire: he needed that damn cigarette! But when Chopper saw the flame getting closer to the cancer-causing cylinder, his expression changed, turning into the one that he had when Brook had accidentally burst the balloon he was gifted at Sabaody. Defeated, Sanji let his head dangle forward, letting the cover of his lighter down and renouncing one of his few morning delights.  
  
The small reindeer rewarded him with a bright smile, trotting closer to confiscate his cigarette and hide it somewhere. Sanji let him be, unaware of the smiles of the two women and the curious looks of the children.  
  
“Chopper, has she woken up yet?” asked the cook, trying to start a conversation to forget about his defeat. He smiled at the pleased cries of the children when they saw the sweets.  
The reindeer shook his head. “Mh-hm.” The blonde sighed, disappointed. “But she’s stable; her values are good. What’s left now is letting her rest and eat properly. I’m sure that as soon as she eats your delicacies she’ll feel better!” he said, encouraging.  
“Hm.” Mumbled Sanji, handing him a glass of juice. “And when do you think it’ll happen?” he asked.  
Chopper took the glass, pensive. “Between now and tomorrow, I’d say… We must take into account that she was already exhausted. But her vital signs are great, she’s recovering quickly! She must be a very tough person when at her full strength!” he concluded, smiling.  
“Really?” asked Nafar, stopping his quarrel with his brother and letting him take the last pancake.  
“Onee-chan is about to wake up?” he asked, looking at him with his big eyes.  
Chopper wriggled his nose, embarrassed. “She should, if there are no further complications. I can’t say when, though.”  
“Did you hear it, Nird? Onee-chan is about to wake up, she’s fine!” cried the child, ignoring him completely. Chopper flattened his ears down, uneasy.  
  
“A superrr good morning to everyone!” sang Franky, walking in the galley together with the other members of the crew, finally awake. Sanji covered his ears in pain, followed by Usopp.  
“Why the shouting?!” he blared.  
“Not everyone is a wimp like you, Spiral.” Said Zoro, letting the sentence fade with a jaw-spraining yawn. “Let them be.”  
“Ha?!” blurted out Sanji; that hit close to home. “Well, not everyone is a gorilla like you! Someone’s got a brain. A brain, you know? That thing that allows you to _think_?”  
Zoro glared at him. “What a nice way to thank who got your skinny butt on your bed, _brain_.” He provoked him. Sanji flushed. He didn’t remember it at all. “And then I had my watch for the whole fucking night, while you were having a big time snoring. You know, to endure a sea life you must have muscles; being all fancy doesn’t help.”  
Sanji exploded. “Do you want to go out and eat my kicks?! You tell me how fancy they are, while I’m breaking your bones!” he howled, stepping forward angrily.  
“Give me a second to eat and I’ll be right there, lightweight.” The swordsman dismissed him.  
  
Robin kept on sipping her tea, ignoring their squabble. They found something to argue on every morning. Nami and her kept a small diary in which they wrote all the sentences that started a morning fight. Would they run out of them one day? She set down the cup on the saucer, observing amused how her captain was being placed on the couch to then curl up on himself as if he was spineless.  
The sound of chatter filled the air, together with the shouts of the two quarreller and the clatter of cutlery. It was a nice day.  
  
______________________________  
  
  
Nami turned, crouching at Chopper’s height. The small doctor handed her a tiny basket. “You must wrap the film around the stitches to not wet them while washing her. When you’re done, there are bandages and antiseptic in here. It’s not difficult, just be delicate and make sure not to pull the stitches. I left a clean robe in the infirmary.” Explained the reindeer.  
“Perfect. Later, then!” Nami waved at him, standing up.  
  
“Is everything ready?” Robin asked gently, opening the door of the bathroom. Nami looked down. On the floor, held by a couple dozen of hands bloomed thanks to the archaeologist’s power, laid the girl. As soon as he had administered her the first two bags of fluids, Chopper ran to them asking the two girls to wash her. Now that she looked closely at her, Nami thought that not only she needed it; she really deserved it. Despite her mistrust in strangers, especially the mysterious ones, Nami had to admit that the girl, given how she acted in that alleyway, wasn’t that bad after all. They made room for the hands to let her get carried inside the bathroom. Her eyes fixated on the tattoos, standing out clearly on her skin. “Hey, Robin,” she said to get the other’s attention, “what do you think they mean?”  
The archaeologist studied the ink curls with a blank expression. “I don’t know… I’ve never seen anything similar before. Maybe they don’t have a meaning and she got them on a whim.” She said jokingly.  
  
Nami couldn’t hold back a laugh. “If you say so. Come on, help me undress her.” Both started taking off her clothes; Robin was trying to keep her in a sitting position while Nami made her slip out of her shirt. “Ugh. This abomination must disappear.” She sentenced lifting the cloth with two fingers, holding it away from herself as if it was radioactive. She threw it somewhere towards the door. She crouched, putting her fingers in the girl’s jeans belt loops. “Robin, lift her so that I can take it off.” She said, ready. But the girl’s bottom stood on the ground. “Robin?” she called her again.  
  
No answer; Nami looked up. Robin was staring at the girl’s back, open-mouthed, with a shocked face. “What’s up?” she asked, crawling next to the woman. As soon as she could glimpse at the girl’s back Nami had to cover her own mouth to stifle a cry.  
  
Scars. Dozens and dozens of scars marked the back of the girl, asleep in Robin’s arms. They covered almost every centimetre of her skin, thinning out on her shoulder blades. She had a couple more on her arms, but those were smaller. Another one marked her shoulder. It didn’t seem like they had been inflicted all in one time; they seemed to be the result of multiple wounds inflicted in different moments. There was no smooth skin on her back, but dunes and hills, raised branches, wounded flesh healed over time. In the lower back, in the middle, a familiar wound stood out; way too similar to the one adorning their captain’s chest. The shape wasn’t alike, but the cause sure was.  
Wounds weren’t the only thing on her back.  
  
Another tattoo, completely different from the one on the legs, covered most of her back, concealing the tormented flesh from a first thoughtless glance; it was symmetric and started from her hips, completely covering them, to then climb up her flanks, following the angle of her shoulder blades, brushing and following them, to end in a gentle curl. At the bottom, two branches of ink stretched from two opposite directions to meet slightly under the fire-caused wound, brushing the start of her buttocks.  
  
Once that the initial shock had worn off, Nami moved her hand and got closer with her head. The tattoo wasn’t simply all black, there seemed to be a drawing, a pattern of some sort; however, a layer of dirt – a bit embarrassing to find on a girl’s back – together with the elaborate nature of the tattoo didn’t let her understand clearly its sense.  
  
Glancing at one another – Robin seemed still a bit shocked – they finished to undress her and used the film Chopper gave them. The bangles on her wrists clanged on the floor while they were dragging her. Nami decided to momentarily take them off; a good wash would’ve helped. The two women swiftly undressed as well.  
  
They laid the girl in the tub, making her rest her head on its edge. Then they started washing her, silently, as gently as possible. A quick check made sure that there were no other wounds – a few bruises at best – and the scars on her back had all healed.  
Despite that, seeing those wounds had struck the two women, who now handled the girl as if she was incredibly fragile.  
Once the first layer of dirt had been washed away, she was prettier, even though her feminine traits weren’t as pronounced as Nami and Robin’s. She must have been one or two years younger than Nami at best. After a shampoo, her hair appeared white, flowing and silky. It wasn’t long, but it seemed well kept. She must like it. Nami put some extra care into combing it – her hair full of tangles and bundled up together with a dirty lace, which was immediately sent flying across the room. A flat belly and lean muscles completed the picture.  
  
They pulled her out, leaning her on one of the stools next to the tub, starting to disinfect the wound and change the bandages. Nami kept her lips shut in a thin line as she was completing her task. “Another scar.” She whispered, balling up the old bandages and throwing it behind her own shoulders. Robin stood silent, a serious expression on her face. They hurriedly drayed her hair with a towel as best as they could to not let her catch cold. Nami washed and dried the bangles, putting them back on her wrists. They let her hair loose – it wouldn’t bother her while asleep.  
  
As Nami was massaging her skin with creams and perfume oils with a determined face, Robin let her hand run on her back, as delicate as a feather, brushing it almost without touching it, fascinated. Now that she could study it more clearly, that tattoo was pure art. It was composed by a myriad of smaller drawings: doodles, dots, lines. On both sides of the tattoo there was a circular space; in the right one there was a flower, in the left one some sort of small bird. Robin frowned. It was quite obvious that the tattoo had been made mainly to cover up the scars, but she was sure that it had a deeper meaning. It _must_ have had one. She had never seen anything that beautiful and complex.  
  
“What are you thinking about?” Nami asked her, noticing her silence and her gaze.  
Robin lifted her head, looking at her in the eyes. “I can’t wait for her to wake up.”  
The redhead nodded. “Me too.”  
  
____________________________  
  
  
She blinked, bringing the wooden ceiling into focus with a bit of effort. It had been a long time since she felt that comfy. Too long. Sleep still hunted the innermost corners of her head and the mattress was so soft; she decided that whatever that new day wanted to bring in her life, it could fuck itself. She wasn’t ready to wake up.  
  
She snuggled under the blanket, closing her eyes, surprised by the clean and fresh smell embracing her. It was such a nice dream. She was also without those damn bandages; she could feel the bed sheet gliding along the naked skin of her legs. Oh, and her hair was down. Meh.  
She ignored the subtle annoying feeling of it glued against her neck and was about to roll on her side, but a tug caused a sharp pain to her arm, making her curse. Her eyes quickly opened wide again, her nerves in tension, and she tried to sit up. She could feel that the fog clouding her mind wasn’t only drowsiness. She looked around, wearily. She seemed to be in some sort of infirmary. What she had involuntarily torn off from her arm was a needle injecting some sort of particular liquid in her veins. The mere thought of having had that _thing_ attached to her only a few seconds before turned her guts, almost making her puke.  
  
She had to calm down immediately to focus on the new character who had just entered her visual field. A… familiar hairy being climbed up the chair next to her bed and looked at her with a big smile on its muzzle. “Hey, you’re awake! How are you feeling?”  
  
Widening her eyes and trying to convince herself that yes, she was awake, and that animal talked to her, she narrowed her eyes trying to tell apart dream from reality among those swirling images exploding in her mind. “… Who are you?” she croaked. Her voice sounded terrible, as if she hadn’t drunk in centuries.  
The small reindeer – or deer, she couldn’t figure it out. But he had horns coming out his hat. And hooves. – smiled before introducing himself. “I’m Chopper, a doctor. Do you remember me?”  
  
She slightly relaxed her muscles, letting her guard down. He didn’t seem hostile. She tried to focus, looking carefully at him. Then, as if someone had hurriedly slapped them into her brain at the last moment, a myriad of images and sounds whirled behind her eyes. She took her heads in her hands and clenched her teeth, patiently waiting for them to flow away. Then she raised her glance. Finally, she said: “… The children?”  
The reindeer gave her the brightest of his smiles. “Then you _do_ remember! Wait, I’ll go tell the others that you’re awake, Nird and Nafar will be beyond happy!” he exclaimed, before jumping down the chair and running away.  
She stood there, stunned and without an answer. Nird? Nafar? Who the hell were they?  
  
She snuggled better, laying her head on the pillow, and tried to gather her thoughts. She remembered more or less all the events of the day before. That reindeer was part of the trio that had come down from the sky, he was together with that guy, the one that the child had called _pirate_. He probably was part of the crew. Which meant she was on their ship. A pirate ship. She sighed, amused. If he had known, he’d have a syncope at least. Well, it didn’t matter since she didn’t have the intention of staying there much longer.  
  
A sound of hurried steps interrupted her thoughts. The door slammed open, letting in a flow of people. In pole-position, the two kids she had managed to rescue from those criminals the day before. “Onee-chan!” they screamed, assaulting the bed and throwing themselves on her.  
“Careful there!” the creature – Chopper – scolded them, telling them to be gentler. It was as if the two children didn’t hear him at all and hugged her hips from both sided. Then, a piece of the puzzle slid into place. “Nird? Nafar?” she called them, hesitantly. The two brothers raised their faces full of tears, nodding furiously. A smile slipped from her lips and she hugged them close tenderly.  
  
“So you’re feeling better.” A cautious feminine voice reached her ears. She raised her eyes to meet those of a beautiful girl with long red hair. She nodded. “Thanks for the medical treatment.” She said, while trying not to look out of the corner of her eye the thin needle laying abandoned on the floor. “Where am I?”  
“On our ship.” There you go. “We’re taking Nird and Nafar to their island.” said the redhead, with an inquiring glance, as if waiting for her reaction.  
  
She quickly joined the dots. They already knew that she was involved, but the girl didn’t want to say it directly, apparently. She could as well lay her cards on the table, it couldn’t hurt her nor change the situation anyway. “How long since their…” she nodded in the children’s direction.  
“A day and a half.”  
“Good… Their parents will probably be sent back to their island anyway.” The two kids howled excited. The redhead smiled, nodding. She seemed relieved.  
  
She gazed around the room once more. Her mind was still fogged, but those faces seemed familiar. A black-haired guy with a smile that promised to bring trouble and headache came closer boldly. That was the guy that Nafar recognised while escaping. “Hey, Longlegs!” he called her, resting his hands on his hips. Longlegs?! The guy continued unfazed, without caring about the shocked face that she was _sure_ she was making: “You were amazing yesterday! You outran those criminals even though you were all battered up! And you even wanted to fight me! I like you!” he said, breaking out in a loud laugh.  
  
There was something in that face, in those soft half-moons eyes when he smiled, in that childish and slightly mischievous grin that made a hundred warning bells ring in her head. But since at the time her brain still felt like mush, instead of thinking about that feeling, all she replied was: “… Longlegs?”  
  
The guy stopped laughing, as if he had remembered something important all of a sudden. “Oh, right!” he exclaimed, fixing his onyx eyes on her. She felt as if he was peering inside her soul. “What’s your name, Longlengs We can’t keep on calling you Longlegs; now that you’re up you gotta tell us your name! Also because Sanji keeps on nagging and saying that’s not nice calling a girl that way. You’ve _really_ got long legs, though. I couldn’t call you Shortlegs, that wouldn’t have been nice. And it would have been meaningless.”  
That stream of words hit her and her mind suddenly went back to a few minutes before – when she was about to drift off – and she regretted it. She felt drained of her energies and she let herself plop down on the pillow. She didn’t know why, but she felt as if rambling or laying would be fruitless.  
  
“Mana.” She said, looking back at him. “My name is Mana.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translator's note:  
> Many thanks to all the people out there who have bookmarked this story and/or have left kudos and to all of you who are reading us! Don't be shy, both the author and I would love to hear your thoughts and comments on this story so far!
> 
> /!\ Disclaimer /!\ This translation wasn't beta-read, so there might be some grammar mistakes. If so, it'd be lovely if you could point them out to me, so that I can correct them and make the reading more pleasant for those who haven't read this chapter yet. Thank you in advance for your kindness!
> 
> I also wish all the readers a happy new year! May this 2019 be amazing for you all!
> 
> If you want to keep track with my translations, namely Barefoot, you can follow me on Tumblr as [DanceLikeAnHippogriff](https://dancelikeanhippogriff.tumblr.com/). Use "#translation" or "#barefoot" to find the updates among all my junk!


	4. Stomping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s note: Finally, I did it. I apologise for these two months of nothing, but it hasn’t been a complete anything… Those of you who follow me on my other profiles know that I’m running two other author’s pages and that I’m also translating fanfictions from English to Italian. This month has been productive from that point of view and I couldn’t wait to come back posting here as well. I definitely surrendered: I dumped my plan of getting 10 chapters ready. It’s not me, not my style. I deeply apologise for that.  
> This chapter is really important to me. The final scene is the very first I had in mind when I started planning this fanfiction, the one that has brought Barefoot to life. That’s why I was looking forward to writing it… but as the fateful moment drew near, my panic grew bigger and bigger. I feared the chapter wouldn’t live up to my (and your) expectations. About that, a special thanks goes to Yuki Kiryukan, who crushed at my place and with whom I spent whole nights discussing this story, filling in a few plot-holes and accidentally creating one or two surprises… That you’ll find out soon enough. She’s here in this very moment and she beta read this chapter. She forced me to sit before my laptop and w r i t e. It’s also thanks to her efforts and stubbornness that I managed to upload this chapter today.  
> I’ll let you get on with the reading, I’m really looking forward to your thoughts and comments!

_“Mana… My name is Mana.”_

The girl was glad she was lying on the pillow because as soon as the last syllable escaped from her lips two weights threw themselves onto her.  
“Mana-nee!” exclaimed Nird and Nafar. “Thanks… Thank you for saving us!” said the freckled brother, tears in his eyes. She smiled, caressing his head. “It’s okay, no thanks needed.”

“Mana? What a strange name!” the dark-haired guy stepped in, laughing without a single care in the world.  
“Don’t mock her, you caveman!” shouted a blond guy behind him. Mana studied him. Though she couldn’t figure out all the people in the room, the blond was the only one utterly unknown to her.  
“None taken, I get that a lot.” Mana smiled calmly, letting the children sit to not have them constantly on her. “Though it’d be nice if in exchange you told me who _you_ are.”

The guy slammed his fist on his palm, as if she had just explained to him one of the dogmas of the universe.  
“Oh! Right, sorry.” He apologised chuckling. Mana scanned quickly the room. Nobody seemed to want to play host; they were letting the job to the dark-haired guy. Was it because he was the captain?  
Hold on a second.  
A pirate crew with a young captain, who appeared to be and probably was stupid and way too happy-go-lucky… Mana turned pale. “You-“

“I’m Monkey D. Luffy, the man who will become the Pirate King!” he smiled with the power of a thousand suns. “Welcome aboard the Thousand Sunny, Mana.”  
The world wrapped around her as if it was a muffled blanket. She gave them a stretched smile, trying not to alert the pirates. She had been stupid. How could she have forgotten the peculiar faces of such a crew? And how couldn’t she have recognised the face of the guy who hunted the sleep of every Marine?

Mana swallowed, lowering her gaze. She had boarded the ship of one of the most powerful pirate crews in the whole Grand Line. The most renowned for attracting disasters and miracles wherever it went, the one that became famous for having declared war to the whole world to save a comrade and for having crushed a member of the Shichibukai – preventing a civil war, while they were at it – just to do a friend a favour.  
She tightened her fists. She had to leave as quickly as possible.

A finger poked her arm. She looked up in confusion. She met Luffy’s big eyes just a few centimetres away from hers and jolted in surprise, clenching the sheets. “So?” he asked, staring at her. Taken aback, Mana shifted her gaze on the other people in the room. Some of them had covered their faces, resigned; others seemed annoyed and a few were smiling.  
“Eh?” she asked, at last.  
“I asked you to join my crew!” stated the guy. “Well?”  
Mana looked at him, lost. Her tongue felt as if it was covered in sand, suddenly hesitant. “So?!” the dark-haired guy urged her once more. Mana snapped out of her trance. “No!” she croaked.

“Tsk!” Monkey D. Luffy clicked his tongue, annoyed, puffing out his cheeks like a spoiled brat. He crossed his arms and gave her his back. Mana glimpsed a few people sighing in relief. Chopper gave her a glass of water to let her drink, finally – he really was a gentle and sweet little creature. Mana accepted it thankful, gulping it down eagerly. She felt reborn. How long since her last drink?  
“I’m getting too many refusals recently!” said Luffy, half-offended, half-pensive. “I’m the captain and I decide who gets to join us!”  
“What do you mean, Luffy? Who did you invite recently?” said a dark-skinned guy with a long nose, a hint of fear in his voice. He must be Sogeking. “You aren’t talking about Kin’emon’s leg, right?”  
_His legs?!_  
Mana tried to hide her confusion behind the glass, trying not to ask questions.  
“Mh… No.” muttered the guy.

“Who did you ask to, Luffy?!” said the redhead- Nami, visibly pissed. “Nobody shady or dangerous, I hope. They refused, right? Ah, well, if they had accepted they’d probably be on the ship by now.” She glared at him, doubt on her face. “…There aren’t dangerous strangers hidden aboard… Are they?” She asked in a voice that promised pain in case of an affirmative answer.  
“There’s no one aboard!” The guy looked upset. “And he said no, by the way. He even tried to hit me for having asked.” He grumbled, puffing out his cheeks.  
“Oh. Thank God.” Said the Cat Burglar, relieved.  
The sniper passed a hand on his face with a light heart. “Yeah. So, Luffy? Who did you ask to join us? To the dragon?” he joked.  
Luffy shook his head. “To Smokey!” He said with a big smile.  
Mana choked on water. She fought back the urge to spit it out dramatically, thought it would’ve suited the situation quite well. She raised her gaze. The room seemed to be frozen in a moment of general dread and disbelief. Even the Pirate Hunter, Zoro, was looking at his captain as if he were out of his freaking mind.

The first one to break the silence was Nico Robin, who started elegantly laughing behind her hand. As if a spell had been lifted, the room exploded in a cacophony of hysterical cries, the majority of which came from Nami and Sogeking.  
“Are you crazy or what?!” shouted the navigator. “He’s the Marine Vice-Admiral! He’s been chasing us since Logue Town, he even almost caught us a couple of times!”  
“Luffy, you said it wasn’t anyone dangerous! Or scary! How come he fits in both categories then?” exhaled the sniper, horrified. Mana fought back a smile. That guy’s facial expression were hilarious.  
“The dragon was better.” Mumbled Chopper, shook.  
“Smokey’s not scary. He’s strong and I like him!” Luffy flashed them a dazzling smile. “Honestly, I wanted to ask him since we first met, but so many things happened in between that I remembered only when we were at Punk Hazard. I raced him to Caesar’s room, you know? I ran so fast I set fire to the ground.” He said proudly. “Smokey cheated with his strange smoky power, though. So I remembered that he’s strong. And I asked him. But he didn’t answer and looked at me strange. Then I asked him again, and he tried to stick his weapon in my ear. Or maybe he wanted to stab my head, not sure.” And he laughed. Mana couldn’t help but smile.  
“He wanted to stab you?!” exclaimed Nird, afraid.

“Okay, this is no conversation for children!” exclaimed Sogeking nervously. “Nird, Nafar; how about we let you see our submarine?” he said, looking in the cyborg’s direction.  
“You’ve got a submarine?” asked the children, enthusiastic.  
“And not only that!” the cyborg puffed out his chest. He stretched out his hands towards the bed letting the children hop on. Sogeking kept the door open to let him through, then closed it behind them.  
The room went suddenly quieter. Mana gulped down some water slowly, trying to calm down. Now that those two went away, it was time for questions.

“So,” Nami started tentatively.  
Mana lowered her glass, rising her eyes and fixing them in the Cat Burglar’s. “So.”  
Moneky D. Luffy let himself drop on the bed. “So!” he exclaimed, bouncing on the bed. His smile went from side to side and he kept ignoring the recently formed tension in the infirmary. “Who are you?” asked, crossing his legs on the sheets. “Why did you save Nird and Nafar? As if it was a bad thing – thank you, by the way! And then, how could you jump that high? Only Sanji can do that! Ah, and the CP members. You aren’t a CP member, are you?” he whipped questions out while bouncing up and down. The redhead slapped her hand on her face. The serious atmosphere was gone for good.  
Mana tried to stand still on the mattress. “I-I-“ She mumbled, confused as she bounced around. She never suffered seasickness, but being shaken around like that after just having woken up from a coma wasn’t the best of experiences.

Black Leg hit his captain on the head with his heel. “Stop moving around, idiot.” Luffy stopped, but kept on staring at her.  
The navigator coughed. “Well, yes, in short… We wanted to know that, more or less.” Mumbled trying to play it off. “We’d like to know the information you could provide us with.”  
Mana cleared her throat, feeling it scraping painfully. She didn’t know what to say- _how much_ she could say. She looked at Monkey D. Luffy in the eyes and felt a feeble hope sprout inside her. The guy smiled at her, a bright and sincere smile.

“My name’s Mana, I already told you that.” She began. “As you probably already know, I’m aware of the kidnappings in these seas. I’m trying to prevent them, that’s why I saved those children.” She lowered her gaze. “Truth to be told… They are the first ones I could ever retrieve before it was too late.”  
The redhead moved closer to the bed, her eyes attentive. “And what would that _too late_ be? Why is the Marine involved?”  
Mana looked up at her, scanning her with a serious face. “Not all of the Marine is involved in this matter. Those knowing of these traffics are very few. Let’s say that they’re part of a Marine branch unknown to the others. It’s unlikely that somebody knows about its existence outside the Western Sea.”  
Nami nodded. “You haven’t answered my question, though. Why did the Marine kidnap those children? What for?”  
Mana sighed. She lowered her gaze, playing with the empty glass in her hands. She kept silent for a while, staring at the droplets gliding on the bottom glass. She tightened her lips in a thin line. She straightened up, handing the empty glass to Chopper. The small reindeer took it after a moment of surprise.

“They make them join the Marine. By force.” She said, at last. Luffy tilted his head to the side. “As my grandpa did?”  
Mana tried not to follow his movements. “Garp the Hero, right? I don’t know what he did, but I don’t think it was the same.”  
“Can you explain it better, please?” the giant skeleton- Soul King stepped in.  
“There’s nothing to explain, it’s crystal clear.” She replied, sharp. “The Marine has to face a generation of pirates unlike anyone else before. The Four Emperors, the Supernova and dozens and dozens of rising crews. Plus, the small fries. An average soldier cannot face it all. The solution was to create a semi-secret unit to train rookies in a… special way. The result would be an army stronger than an average one. However, the training is extremely draining and there aren’t many volunteers. They got around it by kidnapping new volunteers. To train them from zero, lifelong.”

Black Leg frowned. “…it wasn’t that clear. Forgive me for asking, but how do you know all that?”  
“I was one of the rookies. A kidnapped one, obviously.” She answered. Her voice didn’t falter as she spoke.  
“… You were held captive?” rephrased Luffy.  
“Yes. For… two years, more or less.” Then, under the inquisitive gaze of Nico Robin, she added: “After a while, I lost track of months… I learned about recent events by stealing newspapers.” Mana curled her toes. under the sheets. “I managed to escape and I’m following kidnappers’ tracks since then. I wanted to stop them somehow, but I knew that I couldn’t do much alone. After months, I was able to locate an island where way too many people vanished; and any of that made it to the news. It took me a while to get there, but I was right. Namea is one of the islands part of that… Marine unit. It provides with new victims continuously. The Marine, in exchange, doesn’t take the locals’ children. That’s why Namea has become a paradise for tourists of all social groups. They must lure new people to the island, new _families_.” She spat out with rage. “The poorer, the better: nobody cares when they report their missing children.”

“This is outrageous!” exclaimed the gigantic skeleton, indignant. “I thought it a wonderful place, but it’s just a vile trap for defenceless people!”  
Mana sighed, sarcastic. “If only I had known before. It was in Namea that I was kidnapped, a long time ago.”  
The Cat Burglar took Chopper in her arms and sat down. Nico Robin moved closer, still standing. “How did you know about the kidnapping?” asked the woman. “Are they carried out following a precise schedule?”  
Mana shook her head. “Actually, it was out of sheer luck. I had been in Namea for about roughly two weeks when I overheard a den den mushi conversation about a new shipment of rookies. I know nothing about a precise schedule… But if they did it too frequently, poor people or not, sooner or later it’d end up in the papers. And I don’t think they want to be spotted.”

“If the Marine did all those things, shouldn’t you hate them? Why did you ask Luffy not to tell the children anything? I think that they should know who tried to kidnap them.” Asked the navigator.  
Mana tightened her fists. “… did you tell them?” Nami shook her head without breaking eye contact. Mana sighed, closing her eyes. She opened them again. “I do hate them. But _them_ , not the Marine.” She said, at last. “Maybe, looking at it from pirates’ or Marine victims’ point of view, the Marines are the ‘bad guys’ – yes, I know who you are and I know your story.” She said, looking at Nami and Nico Robin in particular. “But from the commoners’ point of view, the Marines are the ‘good guys’, not the other way round. I know that you’re the exception to the rule, but I don’t want those children to lose trust in the Marine. I don’t want them to lose hope.” She rubbed her arm, trying to warm herself up. Standing still out of the blankets was making her cold. “If those children were told that their heroes, the ones supposed to protect them, were the ones trying to harm them instead… Who would they ask for help to?” she looked at Luffy in the eyes. “I _know_ that the majority of Marines are good people. Their hair would turn white in horror if they knew about that ‘secret unit’.”

Roronoa Zoro stopped leaning against the wall. “Oh well, we surely know someone like that. Right, Luffy?” he said, smirking.  
Luffy tilted his head for half a second before getting it. “Coby!”  
Mana widened her eyes. “You know captain Coby?”  
Luffy flashed her a big smile. “Sure thing, he’s my fr- CAPTAIN?” he screeched, forgetting about what he was saying.  
“I can’t believe it… Little Coby, a captain!” said Zoro as well, impressed.  
Nami passed a hand over her face. “It should’ve stayed a secret… Ugh, never mind.” Her shoulders dropped in defeat. “Hey, you… Mana, right?” she said. “Can you stand? Come with me, you can borrow my clothes.” She stood up, letting the little reindeer on the chair.

Mana lowered her gaze, becoming aware of wearing a nightgown. She was also pleasantly clean and smelled good, which didn’t happen in… Well, in a while. She flushed. They must have washed her while unconscious. Which meant…  
A shadow dropped on her face. She fidgeted her legs under the sheets and felt the cloth gliding on her bare skin. She tightened her lips, trying not to let on about her annoyance.

Chopper wiggled on the chair, worried. “She’s just woken up… She’s too weak to get u-“ The small reindeer shut up at the sight of his patient moving the sheets aside and getting out of bed, standing without any problem.  
Mana – ignoring the hand that Sanji was offering her to help – moved a few steps. She frowned, making a grimace. What was that annoying sensation?  
She took a few steps towards the navigator. The skin of her left inner tight stretched uncomfortably and she hesitated, confused. There were too many people in the room and she couldn’t lift her nightgown to check – as she’d have done more than gladly – but panic had started crippling in her stomach. What had happened to her?  
“Ah, try to be careful! You might pull the stitches!” exclaimed the doctor.

Her blood froze in her veins. “What stitches?” she asked, tense.  
“Right, you were unconscious…” murmured Chopper. Mana fixed her gaze on him, waiting for him to continue. “You were shot while fleeing with Nird and Nafar, do you remember it?” asked the reindeer. Mana frowned and nodded. Before Chopper could speak up again, though, she suddenly guessed the answer and went pale. “I had to remove the bullet from your tight. You lost a lot of blood, but luckily the shot didn’t damage the bone nor the femoral artery. I had to patch you up, but no worries, it was only five stitch-“

Mana bent abruptly forward, wheezing. Not caring about everyone’s eyes on her, she lifted her nightgown without hesitation, spreading her left leg out. There were a few surprised and embarrassed gasps, the thud of a body hitting the floor- Mana didn’t care. She inhaled sharply when noticing that the bandage was wrapping a part of the tattoo decorating her leg. With trembling fingers, ignoring the small reindeers’ warnings, she lifted the medication to observe the stitches underneath.

The wound – that would become the _only_ scar on her legs – was terribly close to the ink curlicues marking her skin, but didn’t overlap with them. As soon as she realised that, Mana let out a deep sigh that almost emptied her lungs and slumped down on the floor, her legs weak. She managed to put the bandage back into place. Not that it helped much.  
The nightgown went back to covering her tights, fluttering slightly as it did.

She had made a scene – she felt all eyes on her, but didn’t have the energy to worry enough. That sudden and strong fright had drained her of what energies she had managed to recover by sleeping and now the world had gone back to being muffled. She barely registered Chopper’s voice intimating everyone to get out of the infirmary, Nami speaking aloud or Luffy shaking her roughly by her shoulders.

In too short a time too many emotions condensed together with anxiety and the fogging caused by the drugs and they did a number on her. Mana, after months of self-imposed emotional control, felt warm tears streaming down her cheeks.

After months of solitude, she cried.

***

Nami breathed in, closing the closet door. She stared at the wooden panels, lost in her thoughts. She carefully pondered the possibility of slamming her head over and over on it, in the hope of lifting that heavy uncomfortable feeling laying on her brain as an old itchy blanket. She almost thought of doing it, bringing her neck back; then she gave up the idea, resting her forehead on the closet door. Still, she thudded softly her head once, then she turned, letting herself slide down to sit on the floor.

“I didn’t think you’d torment yourself so deeply for our enthralling stranger.” Said a voice with its peculiar irony. Nami rested her cheek on her shoulder, glancing at Robin entering the room out the corner of her eye.  
“I’m not tormenting myself.” She muttered. She wouldn’t believe those words herself. “Just, I don’t like the atmosphere that came to be aboard.”  
The archaeologist sat on her bed, crossing elegantly her legs. “I agree with you. It’s not a pleasant one.”

After she had broken out in tears the day before, the newcomer had closed herself in an almost impenetrable silence. The only exceptions to her mutism: Nird and Nafar – with whom she talked freely – and Luffy. Nami snorted at the thought. Their captain was so egocentric that one could only expect him to get angry when ignored; that time wasn’t an exception. Unpredictable as he was, it wasn’t hard for him to pounce his victim out of the blue and catch them off guard. He had taken Mana by surprise in multiple occasions as well: she answered instinctively and it usually took her a couple of seconds to realise what was actually going on. Once she had figured it out, she tightened her lips, lowered her gaze and simply listened to him without answering, waiting for him to leave out of boredom. It had been like that for two days already and the crew didn’t know what to do. Sanji in particular felt down in the dumps, since he couldn’t even get close to the intriguing girl.

At first, they thought it a mere reaction caused by her embarrassment – she had almost gone naked in front of a bunch of strangers and then broken out in tears, after all – so maybe that factor had played an important part in her subsequent isolation. But it couldn’t be that simple. Nami thought back to the moment she had led Mana in their cabin to let her borrow some clothes: though she was still busy with wiping her tears, the episode being pretty recent, that hadn’t stopped her from talking with Robin and her. Sure, her cheeks were red. Sure, she was still feeling embarrassed. But that didn’t prevent them from chatting a bit.  
Maybe something had happened after that? Nami felt like excluding that possibility: none of her comrades had told her about anything strange, much less about a conversation with their new host.

Nami thought about the clothes they had given her: a simple elbow-sleeves shirt and a knee-length fresh white skirt. The weather was very hot, but she had chosen that outfit keeping in mind the girl’s _special_ condition. The shirt hid perfectly all of her scars and tattoos covering her back. The skirt was Robin’s and it was the most suited piece of clothing they could find: due to the stitches she couldn’t wear anything tight; the skirt, being loose, was perfect and she hoped it wouldn’t let her suffer the heat too much.

They didn’t manage to make her wear shoes, though. For how much they had (gently) insisted, the girl didn’t want to hear a word about it, refusing without giving a reason. _Maybe she’s used to it_ , they had thought. She had slender feet, but while washing her they had noticed thick callouses on the flats of her feet and in those two days she had roamed barefooted around the Sunny’s hull, uneasy. Chopper had forbid her from going on the deck: other than the fact that it was torrid outside, that specific sea area was lashed with continuous and harsh scorching wind gusts – as if the Grand Line could go easy on them – and Chopper had thought his patient still too weak to have completely recovered. The small reindeer had been adamant and the girl – though remaining silent and with horror in her eyes – had lowered her head, respecting the doctor’s decision.

Robin made her snap out of her thoughts lending her a hand to stand up. “Come on, it’s lunch time. Let’s go eating.” Nami smiled, thankful for her calm presence. She was the kind of mature person with whom you could share silence, without it being awkward. Robin was often the one bringing her back to reality when she got lost in her own mind.

Nami took her hand, standing up with a determined face. They’d have met Mana in a few minutes at the table. She had to find a way to talk to her face to face, without the rest of the crew interfering. Maybe Robin could help with her ability. They’d have reached Nird and Nafar’s island in a few hours and something told her that their host couldn’t wait to sneak off the boat. She absolutely had to find a way to keep her aboard before the afternoon. Nami had too many questions to simply let her leave like that. She had captivated the crew with her beauty, her strength, the aura of mystery she gave off. Nami was intrigued by what their comrades still didn’t know: the map of scars and tattoos covering her back; and the blatant huge secret she carried with her.

According to Mana, if that was the way things were – kidnappings, the “dark Marine unit”, an army trained to face the most powerful enemies – then her prodigious escape had to be a lie. A secret department like the one she had described would have a cast-iron monitoring; and a single girl couldn’t certainly escape on her own. She had conveniently omitted several points from her story that Nami suspected to be fundamental to finally have a complete picture of the situation.

Robin held the door open for her with playful gallantry, as if she had fully grasped her intentions and resolution and wanted to make her way. Which wasn’t that difficult to imagine, more than once the crew had suspected the archaeologist to have telepathic abilities. Nami walked by her, a feline grin on her face.

Time to get some answers.

***

Mana glanced at the table from under her eyelashes.  
Though the uneasy atmosphere that came to be every time they had to eat together, the crew never had  a problem with stuffing themselves at every meal as if they hadn’t been touching food for three days. The awkward silence caused by her discreet presence was usually filled by the inhuman screeches of the male crewmembers – the cook alone, Black Leg Sanji, showed top-class-restaurant level table manners. It seemed as if the blond and the two women were the only ones to display some civilisation aboard.

Mana too had been taught table manners, thank you very much. They weren’t as posh as a top chef’s, but enough to set her apart from that uncivil bunch. She pointed the bowl in front of her with her fork, aiming for a meatball. Her utensil clashed with Sogek- Usopp’s, who had been eyeing the same prey. The guy immediately abandoned his mission, apologising profusely. Mana managed to keep a neuter expression thanks to a superb stoicism, but she was crying from laughter inside. _Keep your focus, dammit._

She had carefully pondered whether asking or not for her meals to be left in the infirmary to eat alone, but she had discarded that idea. She had witnessed how much Sanji had been busy at the stove and how his face had brightened up when he saw her eating. She wasn’t as cold-hearted as to deny him that satisfaction, it wouldn’t affect her in any way after all. So she sat at the table and she accepted everything she was offered without saying a word. And she was already pushing her luck like that.  
It was better to appear cold and distant instead of bonding with that crew more than she had already done. She couldn’t let herself show any interest in them, for how much she’d have loved to know them better, for how carefully she listened to every song, story or casual chats at the table. On the long run, it’d have benefitted both parties. That was why she had resolved to passively enjoy their company only during meals, taking part in those events as a host; a foreign temporary host.

 _Temporary_. She repeated to herself, stabbing the meatball and putting it in her plate. She had to plan how to get off that ship asap and putting as much distance as possible between her and that troublesome crew. Being segregated inside that ship was slowly driving her crazy. She hated closed spaces with every fibre of her being; she loved feeling the breeze on her face, the freedom on her skin. For how much the Sunny could be more than comfortable, that forced reclusion brought back unpleasant memories of cold stone and steel biting into her flesh, of humid darkness and ferrous air.  
Mana stabbed the centre of the meatball with her fork, splitting it in half with more strength than necessary. The sound of metal against ceramic was loud and more than one person glanced at her, but she brushed it off. She’d never been able to get rid of nightmares and memories, but it didn’t mean they could emerge at every moment of weakness.

She stabbed half meatball, put it in her mouth and chomped, satisfied. Its taste was heavenly. She lowered her arm again. Her eyes were captured by the bangles adorning her wrists. They anchored her to reality, constantly reminding her that she couldn’t get away from what had become part of her. She could feel their presence crawling under her skin, each one more or less hostile than the others, caged inside her body, reined against their will. Those bangles kept them together, preventing her pieces to fall apart like a plaster cast does with a broken bone. She brushed her fingertip over one bangle, abandoning herself to a stream of fondness and yearning.

Lost as she was in her memories, Mana registered Nami’s presence only when the navigator was already sitting next to her. Mana tensed up but tried to dissimulate, turning her head to the opposite side with imperceptible movements.  
Nami glanced rapidly at Robin. The archaeologist smiled back in a knowing way, without making herself noticed. If the crew had found out they were talking, the attention would have completely shifted on them, putting Mana under pressure, which could make her retreat back in her shell. Robin tucked a strand of hair behind her ear while accepting unfazed yet another vegetable a drunken Franky gifted her. Nami could make it on her own. She was Straw Hats’ navigator after all.

“So!” chirped Nami innocently. Mana tried to shift a few seats away. Nami got even closer. “We were all wondering what will your plans be once we get Nird and Nafar home.”  
Mana tried to keep her cool. Her brain was shouting _‘Getting off this ship and never look back!’_ , but she couldn’t say it for obvious reasons. She kept on avoiding the girl’s eyes and started staring apathetically at her dish. Half meatball returned her gaze.  
“You know, we too are investigating the kidnappings.” Insisted Nami in a slightly higher pitch. “It should be a matter of mutual concern.” Mana glanced at the other side of the table where Nird and Nafar were laughing out loud looking at the pirates’ bad table manners. Luckily, they were too far away to hear what the navigator was saying.

Reluctantly, Mana turned her head in an imperceptible way. Nami was right, that was a matter that she cared for a lot. Moreover, she had the feeling that if she kept ignoring the redhead, the girl wouldn’t care rising her voice to make the children hear.  
Nami smiled, triumphant. “The information you gave us was precious.” She said in a conspiratorial way. “Anyway, I think I know some details you could use.” Mana raised her eyebrow. She turned to face the redhead, resting her elbow on the table and resting her chin on her fingers; a clear invitation to keep on talking. Nami grinned.

“Would some official documents with date and place of the kidnappings be of some use to you?”

Mana swallowed.

________________________

 _Fuck._  
Mana stomped her foot on the wooden floor of the corridor way too hard than necessary. By pacing angrily back and forth in the ship she had already digested, though anxiety and negative thoughts threatened to make her puke that massive meal. She had understood by then that Sanji didn’t know what moderation meant while cooking.  
She pulled around yet another corner, not caring about getting lost. In those days she had roamed around the Sunny so many times they could’ve appointed her honorary member of the crew for how well she knew that ship. She lowered her head to not bang her forehead against a lamp and kept going, angry.  
_Fuck. I’m really doing this. Fuck!_

“Why me? Why _them_?!” she muttered to herself. “I wanted to avoid _one_ crew. One! For fuck’s sake! Me and my luck- What’s got into me?” she hissed, exasperated. “Yes, let’s go roam the sea alone, what could go wrong? I just mind my fucking business… As if!” She reached the end of the corridor to face a wall. Without even stopping she turned around, pirouetting on one tiptoe, and kept on wandering around the ship aimlessly.  
Mana had never longed so desperately to feel the wind on her skin before. Sure, walking helped steaming off some of her frustration, but being banned from the deck made her feel like a caged tiger.

She had said yes. How couldn’t she? But she had to blame herself and her impulsivity for having reached that point. She shot herself in the foot right when she had made up her mind to leave without making the due arrangements. Nami was cunning. Very cunning. She perfectly knew that Mana wasn’t following a real track, that she didn’t have anything of substance in her hands to reach her goal. It was as if Nami had waved a delicious steak in front of a hungry lion. Except that Mana didn’t feel much like a lion but more like a hooked fish.  
The sunlight streaming through a window blinded her for a moment. Mana stopped in front of the porthole, her gaze glued to the ground. _Every cloud has a silver lining_ , she thought. _It might even be cathartic under certain aspects._ The bangles glare caught her eyes. Mana stared at them, pensive.

A shadow brushed past her face. Mana raised her head. A cloud had passed by, softening the sunlight, letting her look at the sky. The girl closed her eyes, relieved.

Usopp’s voice screeched from the crow’s nest. “Land!”

The cloud passed by her vision and a bigger one came by.

Mana turned around and marched towards the deck, wearing a calm expression. She had made up her mind.

___________________

“So.” Started Black Leg blowing a puff of smoke. “I heard that you’ll travel with us for a while.”  
Mana shrugged. “Yes.”  
“Must be a relief to finally be able to stick your nose outside.” Said the cook rhetorically. “This ship is our home, but I get that at times it can be suffocating.”  
The girl nodded, playing absentmindedly with the cloth of the skirt. “Since we’ve entered the climatic borders of the island, the temperature has dropped consistently.” She murmured. “Chopper said that without that scorching wind I could freely stay on deck.” What an embarrassing situation.

Mana had forgotten about the aloof façade she had kept with the crew in the past days; getting up on the deck and seeing how they glanced at her, unsure of what to do, made her think back to her behaviour abruptly. Distancing herself would’ve been useful if she’d have left. Now that she had decided to stay, the only result was looking like an ungrateful bitch who didn’t want to get involved with them. Way to go.

There were a few obvious exceptions, first and foremost Nami, who didn’t bother hiding her devilish smile and kept glancing at her shamelessly. The Cat Burglar had lived up to her name; and so did her scheming buddy. Mana could bet her (not truly) panties that Nico Robin had taken part in that blackmailing process passed as fair trade. The archaeologist didn’t bother looking at her, she simply stood there with that omnipresent irritant smile without saying a word.

Luffy was an exception in everything he did, and Mana had stopped being taken aback by that. She was more than sure that the Mugiwara’s captain didn’t understand a fucking thing of the whole matter, given how he’d jumped around her. Honestly, he wouldn’t stop doing that for the past days in spite of Mana’s coldness towards the crew. Roronoa didn’t give a fuck before and didn’t give a fuck even then, judging by how much he was focusing on his weight-lifting training.

“What’s your favourite food?”  
Mana snapped out of the slumber she had slipped into. “Say what?”  
Black Leg took out the cigarette from his lips to better spell it out. “Your favourite food. Since you’ll be travelling with us for a while I cannot be caught off-guard.”  
Mana widened her eyes. The cook wasn’t looking at her, probably not to make her uneasy. That courteousness made her even more ashamed. She didn’t feel like deserving such kindness.  
“Spaghetti carbonara.” She murmured, shrinking in her shoulders hoping to vanish.

Sanji turned towards her with a hopeful smile. “For real?” he exclaimed with twinkling eyes (eye?). Mana stiffened, staring in horror at the cook’s open mouth, about to vomit a stream of words and questions; but luckily she was rescued by the unknowing Nird and Nafar. The kids threw themselves at her in tears, clutching to her skirt with small but strong hands.  
Mana kneeled down to hug them, careful not to stretch the stitches.

She didn’t feel ashamed when her vision became blurred with hardly held-back tears.

____________

The Mini Marry – named by Franky and Usopp – was sailing further and further away, and Nird and Nafar with it. They hadn’t spent much time together, but one of Mana’s weak point was growing fond of people too quickly: that’s why she was clutching onto the bulwark, sticking her head out more and more trying to look at the brother’s faces for as long as possible. She had loosened her hair to hide her face, that was surely embarrassing. There was no reason to cry. It was a happy ending, right? They were going back to their parents. Their father. Their mother.  
Mana bit her lip to fight back a sob, her eyes stuck on Usopp’s poofy curls, the only thing she could still manage to see clearly at that length.

“Hey.” Luffy called her. The young captain sat on the figurehead, legs crossed; apparently it was his favourite place on the ship. Mana raised her head. Obsidian eyes stared back at her from above his shoulder, clear and bright. “Do you wanna get a clearer view?”  
She remained silent, twirling her pure white hair around her fingers. She didn’t want to give him the silent treatment, but she wasn’t sure to deserve that.  She could almost feel the crew’s stares on her back. She didn’t want to turn around.

“Oi!” screeched the guy, annoyed. Mana jolted. “Didn’t seem like a difficult question to me!” he stood up, holding his hat on his head with one hand and piercing her with a look. “Do you _wanna_ get a clearer view?”  
Her body went paralyzed on the spot, eyes widened. Suddenly, breathing had become hard, but somehow she managed to exhale a choked “yes”. Luffy flashed her a blinding smile.

Without wasting time, he wrapped one gummy arm around her waist and with the other one got a hold of the mainmast top, right under the flapping Jolly Roger. Oblivious to the surprised shouts of the crew – and of Chopper’s worried cries – Luffy propelled them both upwards. Mana let out a squeal, holding to the guy’s slender body. Somehow they managed to land unscathed on the crow’s nest roof, the Thousand Sunny’s highest spot. Luffy let her go. Mana stood up, her legs still trembling with fear.

She straightened her back cautiously, her heart rumbling in her ears and adrenaline rushing in her blood. That ship wasn’t one for weak hearted, that was for sure.  
Mana gulped, catching sight of the Mini Merry out of the corner of her eye. She could see Nird and Nafar waving like crazy, saying goodbye until the very last.

“Better?” asked the Supernova, smiling without a care in the world.  
She smiled back, softened, but before she could think of an answer-

She felt the wind on her face, ruffling her hair.

Instinctively, Mana closed her eyes, relishing that feeling, drinking it up to the last drop. Something reawakened inside her, primal and savage, filling her as the wind was swelling the sail underneath. Mana breathed in, the sea breeze running through her hair like the fingers of a mother. She heard the whistling current scatter around her; the quiet lapping of the waves on the sides of the ship; Nird and Nafar’s distant calls; the crew’s worried cries underneath. And she felt, at last, free again.

Mana opened her eyes. Suddenly, she didn’t care about anything.

With precise and quick movements – though she hadn’t done it in a long time – she made her bangles slip out of her wrists.  
“Luffy.”  
“Mh?” he said, still focused on waving back at the two brothers.  
She walked past the guy with long strides, throwing the bangles at him and heading towards the edge of the roof, where the wind was stronger. The dark-haired guy barely caught them. “Eh- Wha? But-“ he muttered in confusion while feeling his strength fading away.  
“Don’t drop them.” She warned him, before turning to face the sea.

Mana closed her eyes. She felt those presences moving and twisting under her skin like static, as if wanting to find a way to stream out of her. They couldn’t wait for a getaway to burst out the prison they’d been bottled up into for so long.  
Mana breathed in. She breathed out. And let go.

It felt as if a piece of her soul was projected out of her body, the familiar and yet new rip next to her shoulder blades, which she hadn’t felt in a long time. The torn cloth was new, but so extraneous that she didn’t even notice it.  
The sudden silence that had fallen on the ship made her realise that they were all staring at her.

To be more precise, they weren’t staring at _her_ , but at the ash-coloured wings sprouting from her back, outstretching to welcome the wind as if for a hug.

Mana peeked down, where the pirates were looking at her in shock.

Oh, well.  
Better sooner than later, right?

**************

Here is a drawing of Mana, kindly created by Patty! You can find her on [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/Reverzaart/) or [Tumblr](http://reverzaart.tumblr.com/) with the name  “reverza art” or on Instagram as @reverzaart! She’s so talented, it almost seems like Mana is about to come to life!  Every time I look at it, I feel like crying!  
She’s drawn it from a few doodles of mine (I can’t draw, just know it) and a mix of different results from character generators online. I want to thank her again for this wonderful gift, it’s beautiful!  *sobs*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translator's note:  
> I'd like to thank all the readers who have followed us so far! Don't be shy and let the author know how you feel about her story! Support is what fuels the engine of writers, you know? <3  
> You can leave comments, kudos, or check out her blog on Tumblr as [Nereisi](http://nereisi.tumblr.com/) or [Nerewrites](https://nerewrites.tumblr.com/).
> 
> Also, I'd like to thank my beta reader for having kept at bay all my English mistakes. You can find her on Tumblr as [Crispygarden](https://crispygarden.tumblr.com/).
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Again, let us know!
> 
> If you want to keep track with my translations, namely Barefoot, you can follow me on Tumblr as [DanceLikeAnHippogriff](https://dancelikeanhippogriff.tumblr.com/). Use "#translation" or "#barefoot" to find the updates among all my junk!


	5. Careening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s notes: I apologise for this two-month period of silence, but I’ve been busy with many things and I don’t always have the time nor the drive (nor the energy) to write. Some of you might have noticed that the description of the fanfiction changed a bit and that’s because I was told that it wasn’t… well, alluring. That person was right! xD I thought it boring as well and with the help of a friend I tried to refine it a bit. I hope the final result comes off as okay!  
> Now that we’re finally at chapter 5 I can breathe a sigh of relief since Nird and Nafar have officially left the Sunny! Those who know me are aware that I’ve got a little problem with side characters: they usually do what they want. Since when I created them I was fearing they’d have somehow slipped inside the story messing up the plot. That’s why I gave them horrible names (I created them by rearranging the name of an eraser I had on my desk). And it worked!  
> It’s not the first time I describe action scenes, but I’ve never written such a long and detailed one before. There were many characters to handle, I hope I could make justice to them all.  
> I promised myself I’d upload this chapter before Lucca Comics&Games, hopefully I managed to! Happy Halloween and have a nice reading!

Mana looked around, perplexed.

A few long seconds had already passed since her transformation and the Sunny was still completely quiet. She folded her wings close to her body, uneasy. Honestly, she wasn’t expecting hysterical cries nor a red carpet accompanied by a shower of petals, but… At least a few shouts. She’d be okay even with just the crew asking for an explanation. Talking of usually loud people, there was one who was strangely silent in that moment…  
Mana looked at Luffy, laying down on the floor with his tongue dangling out and a blank stare. She tiptoed closer and lowered next to him. She disentangled one by one his clumped fingers and, once his hands were open, she hesitated before picking up her bangle with her fingertips.

“G-gnuh?” muttered Luffy, trying to raise his head. Mana gave him a brief apologetic smile.  
“It’s made of seastone.” She said, eyes half-lidded with exhaustion. She felt herself being quickly drained of her energies and hurriedly put her bangle down on the wooden planks of the crow’s nest. She felt immediately better.  
“Thanks for not having dropped it, it’s really important to m-”  
“YOU’VE GOT WINGS!”  
Mana slapped a hand on her ear, trying to save her eardrum from perforation. “Yes- Yes.”

As if their captain’s cry had shaken them out of their shock, the rest of the crew started raising their voice as well, the questions overlapping one another asking for an answer. Mana felt her cheeks turn red and the boldness she had been drunk on a few minutes before vanished. She had already come to terms with her decision to stay, so she’d have had to show it to the crew anyway unless she wanted to slowly go crazy… But she didn’t want to do it that soon. She should have pieced back together her relationship with the crew _before_ her dramatic entrance.  
Mana sighed, glancing furtively at Straw Hat. The guy was now standing and looking at her with such a bright and enthusiastic face that she feared he’d get a stroke out of joy. Mana stood up, flapping slightly her wings. How long since she last had outstretched them? She did it, stretching them as much as she could and relishing that heavenly sensation of freedom.

“But can you fly?!” asked Luffy hysterically, jumping around her like a crazy grasshopper.  
“Well… Yes.” Answered Mana, a bit embarrassed.  
“Show me, show me!” shouted Luffy, enthusiastic. Mana blushed, trying to hide a smile. It was the first time her powers triggered such a pure reaction of wonder, instead of awe or fright. _Nothing wrong in with indulging him._ She nodded, feeling her stomach gurgling out of anticipation. She walked to the edge of the roof, with Luffy behind her almost vibrating with excitement. The wind ruffled her hair and Mana let out a groan, thinking about the pain that she would have felt by combing it later on.  
Her toes curled on the edge. It had truly been a long time since her last flight. She was tense. _What if I forgot how to do it and I crush-_

A gust of wind blew right in her face, as if to mock her.

Mana jumped off.

She was falling headfirst, wings folded back close to her body, and hardly held back a laugh when she saw almost all the rest of the crew – hanging by ropes and climbing up stairs to reach them on the crow’s nest – looking at her fall with crazy eyes and horrified faces. She let herself fall for another couple of metres; then, having had her fun, she spread her wings and tipped them, rising abruptly. Her trajectory, a tight curve, made her ascend vertically to reach the point she had jumped off from. She speeded past to the crow’s nest roof, where Luffy was jumping on the spot, screaming like a vociferous monkey.

She couldn’t hold back a bright smile while flying up, up, further and further up, avoiding by an inch a slap in the face by the flag. Pulling up the unwieldy skirt, she rested one foot on top of the flagpole, using it to leap back in the air. She stopped fighting the wind, letting the current carry her backwords, almost letting the Thousand Sunny overtake her. Insulted and worried voices reached her. Mana barely noticed them. She wasn’t even trying to hide the wide smile brightening her face, making her eyes twinkle. She folded back her wings, letting herself fall in half a pirouette to then outstretch them again a few metres above the sea, gliding just over its surface, coming up beside the Sunny. Luffy followed her as he could, catapulting himself from one point of the ship to another with his elastic limbs, thrilled.

Mana noticed that she could hardly manoeuvre her movements with precision. She quickly glanced over her shoulder, grimacing. A few instants later, a feathered tail sprouted from the base of her spine, slightly under her tattoo. Mana flapped her wings vigorously, getting airborne easily thanks to the new appendage. Her hands quickly grabbed the hem of her skirt, pulling it up as she could. When her tail had sprouted, it had made the skirt slide down and now it threatened to slip away. Mana wasn’t that enthusiastic about the possibility of flying exposing her butt to the whole world.

After a few other turns around the ship, she gave in to Luffy’s enthusiasm, hovering in between masts and sails, letting the guy chase her and laughing until her cheeks hurt. At first, the other members of the crew had tried to follow them – but Robin and Zoro, who were watching from the deck, unmoved – to then give up and climb all up to the crow’s nest roof to get a better view. And it was there, at last, that Mana landed. She was pumped, with red cheeks and tousled hair. She didn’t even feel that tired since she had simply used the wind and its currents most of the time, without wasting too much energy. Could you get drunk on freedom? Mana thought so.

Black Leg Sanji threw himself at her feet, almost sliding, and Mana took a step back, startled. “How can I thank you for having blessed us with such beauty?”  
“Erm…” she glared at him, uneasy. The blond continued, undaunted. “Are you an angel? A harpy?”  
“ _-A harpy?!-_ ” echoed her, outraged.  
“I believe that’s incorrect.” Said Robin monotone, who had come closer together with Zoro. “If you’re referring to the woman we faced back at Punk Hazard, she had wings _in place of_ her arms. Not to mention her bird legs.”  
“Even if it were so, it wouldn’t matter! Your beauty transcends your race!” exclaimed the cook, stubbornly. At that point the girl crossed her arms over her chest, visibly annoyed. “Hear me out, blond-”  
Before she could finish her sentence Luffy catapulted himself a few steps away from her, making himself hear over the chaos of questions that were being thrown at her with a “THAT WAS SO COOL!”. Mana truly couldn’t help but smile at his childish simplicity. Though all the warnings and teachings she was given, she realised that she was already growing fond of that guy. “Can we do it again?” he asked, thrilled.

Nami stepped in, shoving a hand on the dark-haired guy’s face to then lean arrogantly towards her. “The question to ask here is: how did you do that? Have you eaten a Devil fruit?” she asked her furiously.  
“Yes.” Answered Mana easily. Nami closed her mouth abruptly, as if she weren’t expecting an answer. She remained silent for a moment, then started again. “Well? Which one?”  
Mana became pensive for a second. She never had a knack for remembering names and categories, but that world seemed to obsess over it. “Avis… Avis-Avis.”  
Robin looked at her with an unreadable expression – that was new! – before saying: “It is believed that only five Devil fruit in this world gift the power of flight. Yours is one of those, apparently.”  
Mana tilted her head, shrugging. “Really? I didn’t know that.” And it was true. She didn’t care much about it anyway.  
Chopper trotted next to her feet. “So your fruit is a Zoan type? Just like mine?” he asked, wriggling his nose in her direction. Mana lowered her head, giving him a small smile while nodding.  
“But… forgive me, which kind of bird is it?” inquired Nami narrowing her eyes. Mana’s expression went back to neutral. “Hippogriff.” She answered. The ship went silent.  
Zoro folded his arms on his chest, before erupting in a grunt. “Hippo-what?”

Mana breathed in to start explaining, but exactly in that moment her shirt, ripped apart by her wings, slid down her shoulders. She managed to catch its hems just in time, without flaunting her graces to the entire world. For some strange reason, the cook seemed on the verge of a syncope and Nami plugged his nose with two fingers, without even looking at him. “Uhm…” Mana hid behind her wings, slightly embarrassed.  
“I think you’d better just show us, to let us understand.” Said Nico Robin, appeasing. Mana was sure that the archaeologist – well known for her intelligence and knowledge – knew perfectly well what a hippogriff was. And, conveniently enough, said creature didn’t need clothes.  
Mana made a thankful nod in her direction. “Sure. Right.” She cleared her throat, taking a few steps back. Her hand was about to go to her wrists, but her motion stopped when she realised that she wasn’t wearing her bangles.

_What a strange feeling._

And while she was thinking that, she sighed and let herself go one time more. While shapeshifting, she was amazed by how much tension was vanishing from her muscles as she let another part of her take over. It had been enchained for far too long; freeing it felt like a breath of fresh air.

When she opened her eyes, she was standing on two pairs of different paws. She had managed to slip out of the skirt while transforming: she didn’t want to rip it as well – it was borrowed and, honestly, a hippogriff with a skirt was such a grotesque and humiliating image; she didn’t want to think about it. She shook her head, feeling the feathers covering the entirety of her face and body gently rippling at the wind. She made a half-turn on the spot cautiously, getting re-acquainted with each appendance that form gifted her.

“Wow!” exclaimed a screeching voice. She had heard it enough times to know who it was coming from. Mana turned her head, fixating hazel eyes in the young big-mouthed pirate’s black ones. “Cool!” So this is a hippothing?” he asked, getting closer without a care and poking around with sparkling eyes. Mana tried to correct him but, like all the times an arched beak replaced her lips, all that she managed to emit was a croaky squeak.  
“Hippogriff.” Robin corrected him. “A legendary beast, half horse and half griffin. Because of its legendary nature I’d never expected to see one in person… But this is the Grand Line, after all. Everything can happen.” She smiled.  
Luffy started running around her like a crazy top, poking around here and there shamelessly. “You’re terribly big!” Luffy, marvelled, putting a hand on his forehead and trying to put it on hers too, without success. “Can you fly even like this?” he sneaked under her belly, having fun as if Mana had turned into a damn amusement park and not into a proud mythical beast. “Why do you look like a bird from the front and like a horse from behind?” he asked, poking her claws. To escape his clutches and free her arm – more like her paw – Mana had to rear up, praying not to step on her own tail with her hooves: there wasn’t anything more annoying to her. Sadly, turning into her four-legged form made the tail grow exponentially, making it trail on the ground and ruining the tip of her flight feathers. It was easier to control in her inter-species form, when her tail reached only at her knees. After having mad the guy tumble a few metres away, Mana stomped on her front paws, scratching the planks with her claws and letting out vivid screeches.

“She says that if you touch her again like that she’ll throw you overboard.” Said Chopper to his captain, candid. Mana looked at him in surprise. Now that she thought about it, he was a talking reindeer, it made sense that he could understand animals. Mana lowered her neck, nibbling lightly his hat to catch the little doctor’s attention. When Chopper turned towards her, she stared at him intently to then emit a series of low guttural sounds. For a moment, he was taken aback; then his muzzle brightened up with a sincere smile.

Mana turned around carefully, hooves clopping on wood. The crew was staring at her from head to toes, each of them with a different gradient of surprise painted on their faces. She wrapped herself in her wings, tense. She was the one who took that decision, but she felt nervous nevertheless. Curious glances, calculating or wary stares; some of them were even slightly afraid. It was horrible. She felt like under a magnifying glass, one that couldn't only magnify things but also stretch time, making each passing second tenser.  
And then there was Luffy.

The young captain started a new assault and Mana had to keep him at bay with her wings, such was his enthusiasm for his new _toy_. She couldn’t keep him away for long and the guy slapped his hands on the sides of her muzzle, throwing himself at her with his gummy limbs. “You’re amazing!” he exclaimed at a few centimetres from her face. Mana held her breath, looking at herself in those eyes so limpid they could be transparent.

_Now I understand how you could earn his respect._

“Join my crew!”

_And also why he described you as a living headache._

Mana snorted, emitting an irritated gurgle. Then she proceeded to head butt Luffy right in his forehead, towering over him as he fell butt on the floor.  
“She said no.”  
“That much we could understand, Chopper.”

Luffy rested on his elbows, letting his hat slip backwards. “Hey.” He said to her. “How’s flying? Is it cool?” he asked, wonder still fresh and lively sparkling in his eyes.  
Mana looked at him, her heart pounding. She couldn’t smile with a beak replacing her mouth, but she was almost sure that Luffy had understood it the same. _More than you can possibly imagine._

Struck by a sudden brainwave, Mana grasped the side of Luffy’s blouse with her beak, pulling him up on his feet. She turned around him, showing him her side and lifting a wing. She pawed lightly the ground and emitted a croaky souharnd. Chopper blinked, taken aback. “She says-”  
Luffy didn’t hesitate not even a second, jumping on her back. Again, the crew gave into various interjections. Seriously, how could they perform their epic deeds if it took them so long to intake a shock?

“You’re so soft to the touch!” exclaimed the Supernova, amazed, diving his fingers into her thick grey feathers. “Don’t rip them out. Hold on tight, breadstick!” mocked him Mana.  
Within two seconds, she outstretched her wings wide open and threw herself down again from the crow’s nest roof, grinning internally for the guy’s hysterical and euphoric cries.

Later on, when Usopp came back to the Sunny he examined the blank expressions of his comrades, disoriented. “Have I missed something here?”

** *** **

 

Nami observed in silence Mana retreating her wings to slip back into her clothes again without hustle. Sure, she didn’t like her shirt being ripped apart, but she didn’t wear it much, after all. And well, that performance was a more than satisfactory reward for her loss.

She’d never say it aloud, but she was envious of Luffy when the girl had made him fly. When they landed, Mana had barely given him the time to hop off her back that she was already dashing towards her bangles, scooping them up with her beak to reach the closest door, already starting to turn human – and naked. But Luffy didn’t care. He had poorly tumbled on the ground and laid down starfish-style, a dreamy smile on his face. He hadn’t responded to a single stirring and the crew wasn’t sure whether it was because he was breathless after all that shouting or because he still had his mind in the clouds. Nami wriggled her nose, pensive. Maybe he was still laying there in that very moment.

Mana wore the top she had borrowed from Robin, murmuring something to herself. Nami and Robin had found her in front of their room, the bangles on the floor next to her feet and the wings concealing her naked figure. Her cheeks were red and she was staring at the ground, visibly mortified. Nami had let her in without a second thought, trying to find some clothes to lend her again.

“Sorry for your shirt.” Whispered Mana, vaguely glancing at Nami’s direction. She kept her head high, but she was probably still too embarrassed to look at her in the eyes. Nami tried to give her a heartening smile. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing. I don’t wear it anyway.” She answered. The girl seemed to relax a little, before jolting again when something was put under her nose. _She really is a nervous wreck._ Mana blinked a few times at one of Robin’s hand sprouted off a wall, holding a comb, before taking the object. She took it in her hand almost reverentially, thanking Robin with a nod and a small smile, mirrored by the archaeologist. She went close to the mirror, grimacing at the look of her hair. She sat up more straight than necessary, starting to comb her hair decisively, staring at her face in the mirror.  
Nami shot Robin a bewildered glance. _As if I’d let her off that easily!_ She folded her arms on her chest, and stared at Mana through her reflexion. The girl became – if possible – even more tense, combing her hair with more strength than necessary and focusing only on her own reflexion. Obviously she was trying to avoid their gaze. Was she really that hesitant to talk? Well, willingly or not she couldn’t get away with it again. It was time to lay their cards on the table.

“Truly a wonderful show.” Backed her up Robin, starting the conversation.  
Nami went along with it. “Yes. Astounding. Unexpected, I’d say. Now that I think about it…” she faked a pensive face, tapping on her cheek with one finger. “You never mentioned something similar in these days.”  
The navigator observed with morbid attention the girl clutching the handle of the comb until her knuckles turned white. “Well, you never asked.” She said drily, going back to comb her hair with even more mechanical movements.  
Nami folded her arms on her chest, shooting a quick incredulous look at Robin before leaning forward with her chest. “ _Well_ ,” she mocked her “I thought you’d share such an important detail. Maybe, _I don’t know_ , when you decided to travel with us?”

Mana froze. She lowered her arm, putting the comb on the table with a heavy sigh. “Listen, I’m sorry.” She said, barely turning her head in their direction. “I don’t want to come across as ungrateful for your trust and hospitality – though I’m sure I’m giving off that vibe – but I’m used to jealously keep my secrets for myself. And I’ll keep doing it. It’ll benefit both of us, believe me.”  
“I beg to differ.” Protested Nami firmly. By her reflexion they could see Mana physically holding herself back from spitting out a curse.

“From now on, I expect you to share immediately such important information.” Continued Nami, unfazed. “These are my ship and my companions. If you think I’ll shut up and let a stranger roam freely around us, you’re sorely mistaken.”  
“I can assure you that if you don’t meddle in my own business, it’ll be better for everyone, especially you guys.” Replied Mana drily, now facing them completely. “You wanted me on this ship. I joined you because of our common goal and the information you’ve got, that I need.” Robin could almost _see_ the wall that Luffy had crumbled a few minutes ago rebuild again, quick as lightning. She frowned slightly, displeased by the sudden hostility in the air.

“If you think me a threat, you just have to give me our current coordinates and I’ll fly away to the closest island.” continued Mana. “I can live by myself; if needed, I’ll go back home on my own.” She said, clutching the hem of the chair. Nami closed her mouth, sensing a bitter taste in the girl’s voice. Suddenly, she regretted the way she had brought the matter up.  
She knew she was right… But, somehow, that girl seemed so sad in spite of her brave words. _Me and my stupid temper!_  
Mana interpreted her silence in the wrong way, starting to get up. Nami opened and closed her mouth, racking her brain to find something to stop her, that wouldn’t make her go away.

“Your tattoos are very interesting.” Nami jerked her head towards Robin. Wise, cunning Robin who always knew what to say and when. She had to physically stop herself from hugging her, but she surely would’ve made it up for it later.  
Mana froze on the spot, standing, surprised by the archaeologist’s words. “Uh…”  
“I couldn’t help but noticing them. Who made them?” Mana narrowed her eyes. Nami held her breath. Probably, the girl knew perfectly well that it was nothing but a poor way to change the subject and, at the same time, gather any sort of information. Every word had a hidden purpose when it came to Nico Robin.  
“Two elderly people.” She replied cautiously. “Why?”  
“As you know, I’m an archaeologist. Other than the history field there aren’t many things that pique my interest. I can’t say I’m a connoisseur, but those tattoos are truly a work of art.” Nami studied Mana’s face. The words that Robin had just said were more than sincere and the girl seemed to understand it, because something warm twinkled in her eyes. Mana sat again, visibly relaxed. She put a hand on her shoulder, a calm expression sweetening her face. “They are.”

Nami knew that expression. It brought her back to two years at Cocoyashi, when she went out doctor Nako’s infirmary with a tangerine and a pinwheel freshly tattooed on her shoulder. She couldn’t recall whether the skin under the bandage was hurting more or her ears due to Genzo’s shocked shouts. A nostalgic smile bloomed on her lips.  
“Can I ask you what they represent?” asked Robin again. “They fascinate me.”

Mana stared at the ground, but she wasn’t really looking at it. Her mind was elsewhere, lost in memories. “I got them to nag a certain someone.” She said, a half smile on her lips. Nami blinked. Who would ever get a tattoo just nag someone? It’d have more sense to say that she got them to cover her terrible scars. Could it be a lie to mislead their attention? “This one, instead,” continued Mana brushing her leg with one hand, “it’s a memory of home.”

There was a brief silence while the two women processed the new information. The navigator glanced at her from under her eyelashes. Now that it seemed like the girl had lowered her defences, she definitely wanted to keep the conversation going. She was very curious about her back, but… _Fuck it_ , she didn’t want to bring that matter up with such an elusive person.

“Your birthplace?” she asked, choosing a topic that could potentially give them some clues about the girl’s mysterious past. Mana nodded. “How is it?” The navigator tried not to sound too hopeful for an answer.  
Mana looked at her with bright and intelligent hazel eyes. Nami braced herself internally for a shot down; however, the girl surprised her with an answer, never taking her eyes off her.  
“Beautiful.” She said, leaning against the chair back. “But I think that anyone would think home beautiful. It’s _home_ , after all.”  
“What’s the name of your island?” asked Robin.  
“Zaratan.” Mana gestured vaguely with her hand. “But it’s impossible that you’ve heard about it. It’s located in one of the Calm Belts in the New World. Hardly anyone has ever come to its shores for hundreds of years; that’s why it’s not charted on the maps.”  
The archaeologist remained silent, storing accurately that information in her memory. Mana let her hands fall on her thighs. “Actually, there’s nothing much to do, aside trying to survive. Be it on land or in the sea, we had to fight with huge beasts all the time. We could swim or fish only close to the shores, otherwise we would be attacked even by Sea Kings, and against them you don’t stand a chance.” She looked at her hands. “But… it’s my home.” She concluded. She started to play with the hem of the shorts that she had borrowed from Nami.

“How could you make it out that sea area alive?” asked the redhead, who already had a few theories.  
“At times we found scarce quantities of a special stone that can hide ships from the Sea Kings. When I arrived in Namea, I found out that it’s called seastone.” Replied Mana, confirming Nami’s suspicions. “It’s very rare and valuable on my island, that’s why my people believe it’s a gift from God. Of which kind, I wouldn’t know. I’ve never been much of a religious person.” She huffed, reaching out floppily with her arm to grab the comb again. “Anyway, since there was so few of it, we used it sparingly. It was barely enough to conceal the presence of a few fishing boats. When I left, I took one of those.” She resumed combing her hair, making a grimace when the comb met a particularly stubborn tangle. “I don’t know where it might be right now, since I was captured right after docking. I wonder what’s become of it… It’s been such a long time.” She concluded in a feeble voice.

“Do you miss it?” asked Nami gently.  
Mana blinked, her reflexion frowning in the mirror. “The boat?”  
The two women let out a laugh.  
“Ah! You’re talking about my- Uhm. Yes.” Muttered Mana, embarrassed. “Well, I obviously miss it. It’s my home, after all.” She said, lowering her gaze. The comb was now still.

And Nami knew, she knew that she’d have to keep a cold façade after seeing a part of the secrets that the girl was carrying within her, she knew she had to be even more cautious because they didn’t know enough about her and a stranger aboard could be extremely dangerous for the crew… However, she couldn’t help but liking Mana at least a little after everything she went through. She stood up from the bed with a sigh, followed by Robin’s wily smile – the archaeologist had joked many times about Nami having a sweet spot under her hard yet fragile thick skin – and reached Mana’s back, taking the comb from her fingers and starting to comb her hair carefully. A pair of wide-opened eyes stared at her with surprise from the mirror and Nami replied with a small smile. After a few seconds, the tension slipped off the girl’s slim shoulders, who relaxed again on the chair.

“From here on, I want to know everything that’s going on in your mind, okay? No matter how obscure.” She murmured.  
“Mh-mh.”  
Nami almost rolled her eyes. _As if._ “You don’t plan on doing that, do you?”  
Mana didn’t reply, and simply stretched her lips in a half-smile. Nami sighed, resigned.

The minutes slipped away one after another, without anyone in the room keeping track of time.

 

 

“By the way… how old are you?”  
“Twenty-one.”  
She almost dropped the comb. “You’re older than me?!”

** *** **

 

Mana tried to not let her shoulders stiffen more, looking around with raising anxiety and told herself she had been stupid for having thought again that things could’ve gone well at least for once since she wasn’t alone anymore. That she needn’t worry that much, since they got her back covered.

It was quite the opposite.

She darted her eyes from one side to another. The crew had made the right decision by leaving Franky, Brook and Chopper on the ship: they’d have drawn too much attention with their appearance. But even with that, the others were still easily recognisable. Among crazy hair colours, peculiar eyebrows and iconic straw hats Mana felt like she was walking together with a bunch of living fluorescent targets. Hoods and capes wouldn’t do the trick with them. She didn’t have to just look out for herself, but to keep an eye also on what those rowdy troublemakers did; especially on their captain.

Usopp was having a hard time keeping his comrades under control. The slightest thing would draw unwanted attention; the three women had made it clear. As they had made it clear that they’d leave him at his own fate, if a fight were to happen. The sniper had understood that perfectly, and with renewed spirit – and a huge fire under his ass – he dived head first in the task of governing his friends.

(Mana suspected that the navigator had visibly exaggerated with her menaces; in case of a real threat, the Cat Burglar would’ve fought tooth and nail even a lost battle if it were to defend her comrades. But since she didn’t want to step in the discussion, she kept that thought to herself.)

Even though Mana and the girls had split from the group to avoid eventual – and possible – disasters, she couldn’t help but glance from over her shoulder at every step to check if there was a Buster Call incoming.  
“Zoro! _Zoro_! Stop, where are you going?!” screeched Usopp like crazy, yanking the swordsman by his shirt to keep him from going his own way.

“Ignore them.” Grumbled Nami, who seemed concentrated on faking not knowing them. “Let’s focus on our task.”  
Mana swallowed and looked ahead. She kept on darting her eyes left and right scanning for hostile movements, but for the  moment being she didn’t see anything.  
“The people we’ve talked to up until know didn’t seem suspicious to me.” Observed Robin, keeping her voice small. “Unlike Namea, this island is widely known. It’s big enough to have its Marine headquarters. I don’t think they had the freedom to establish the same traffic as they did in Namea.”  
Mana nibbled her lip. “It’s strange that a place like this isn’t covered from wall to wall in flyers and wanted posters.” _And that we haven’t been found out yet. With or without disguise._  
“You noticed it too?” Nami tucked her foulard to better hide her face. “Everything seems way too quiet. Or am I being paranoid?”  
Robin shrugged without saying a word.

Mana crossed her fingers in the coat pockets. Chopper gave her the green light to wrap her legs, agreeing on the fact that tattoos were her most spottable characteristic. To let her pass unnoticed, Nami had borrowed her a denim jacket that together with Robin’s top – sewed and adjusted to fit her size – and a pair of shorts gave her a decent look. It almost felt like she was trying to impress, instead of hiding.

That’s why she didn’t read too much into it when a guy got closer. Except that something was off. He wasn’t wearing a uniform, but everything about him screamed _military_. His short haircut, his secure walk resembling a march. Mana stiffened inadvertently. Nami and Robin slowed down, faking interest in some stands on the side of the road.

“Good morning.” Started the guy, stopping at a short distance from her. He seemed friendly, which didn’t make him less serious. Mana waved back, trying to smile. “I’ve never seen you around here before.” He continued, scrutinizing her blatantly.  
Mana forced herself to relax her face, though in her head there was a red alarm ringing. _What do I do? What do I do?!_ “Neither have I.” she shot her mouth off without thinking. The guy blinked, taken aback. _That’s it, that’s it: shock him!_ As nonchalant as possible, Mana let her jacket slip down her shoulder, revealing the bare skin under it. “What a pity.” She said, looking at him from under her long eyelashes.  
The marine was speechless and tilted slightly his head. Mana smiled at him and cheered internally when she saw that the guy’s stare had become softer. One of her white braids slipped past her throat, stopping on the cleavage and magnetizing his eyes on the generous portion of exposed skin. She got slightly closer, trying to draw all his attention on her to divert it from the two women. They weren’t fools; probably they had already mingled with the crowd as to not be recognised.

“What’s your name?” asked the soldier finally, snapping out of it and visibly trying to regain his composure. Mana bit her lip. “You’re asking me without telling me your name first?” she tried. The guy narrowed his eyes, regaining his composure and straightening his back. “I’m off duty, but I want to give you the benefit of the doubt since I don’t recognise your face.” Mana held her breath. “Are you aware of being in company of dangerous wante-”  
The marine couldn’t finish his sentence; a staff materialised out of thin air delivering a sharp blow to his nape. Before he could realise what had happened, he had fallen to his knees in front of Mana with wide eyes, the look of someone who had grasped something too late. Mana apologised with a glance before Nami sent him to sleep with another blow. The guy fainted and fell to the ground face first with a thud. _Ouch._

The spectators realised slightly later what had happened. The first cries of alarm were heard and, as if they had been expecting just that, a hoard of marines poured out in the street. The three girls turned around and started to run.  
“What the fuck was that?!” hissed Nami hysterically.  
“I don’t know!” replied Mana, defensive. “I was trying to deflect his attention!”  
The Cat Burglar looked at her as if she had gone nuts. “We’re used to ending up in this kind of situations, we don’t need you to expose yourself like that! Why didn’t you attack him first?!”  
“I was hoping it wouldn’t be necessary!” said Mana, fed up. “He was just doing his job.”  
“He could’ve arrested you!”

“In case you’ve forgotten, I can fly away. By the way…” Mana took off the jacket. She handed it to the navigator who, after a moment of confusion, tied it around her waist. “I wouldn’t want to tear your clothes apart again.” She muttered.  
Robin let out a laugh. “This is the last thing you should worry about, I’d say.” She said, while joining their comrades.  
“Heyyy! What’s up?” Luffy waved at them, being carried on Zoro’s shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Mana blinked, choosing to _not_ ask any question on the matter.  
“Who should worry about what?” asked Usopp, hesitant. She met eyes with Nami, seeking her approval. “Look, we haven’t done anyth- AH!” cried out Usopp, catching sight of the fast-approaching squadron.  
“But we’ve just arrived here!” whined Sanji. Roronoa rolled his eyes and huffed, before turning around and starting to run, taking away his captain with him.  
“And what’s with that, you damn lunatic?!” exclaimed Usopp, pointing his feet to the ground to push Sanji’s back with all the strength he had in his body. “If you don’t hurry we’ll stay here forever, but in jail!” Apparently, the fear of a fight overshadowed how intimidated he was by the cook. Black Leg started trotting half-heartedly, speeding up the pace when Robin and the girls got past him.

The shouts seemed to fade in the distance. Mana glanced from over her shoulder and noticed that they had managed to overrun their chasers, though not by much. She hurried, catching up with the rest of the fleeing group. They kept running, going back through the street they had come from, dodging people and stands that lessened as they left the city centre. Once out of the city, the marines tried their hands at a few shots – Mana couldn’t understand if they were warning shots or if they wanted to shoot them for real: they were too far away. The only thing they heard were gun shots, but no bullet reached them. It was still enough to make Usopp cry as if he had Akainu himself on his tail.  
“Look, we’re almost at the promontory!” exclaimed Nami, wheezing for the run.

When they had docked, they had found an archipelago of rocks all around the island. After having dropped anchor behind one of the cliffs, they had reached mainland with a lovely steamboat stirred by Franky, who had then returned to the Sunny. They weren’t planning on being found out that soon and there were still several hours left before their rendezvous with the shipwright. For the moment being, they were left with no transport.  
“We must go back to the Sunny on our own.” Noted Zoro, unfazed.  
“What do we do?!” cried Usopp in despair. Without wasting time, Mana took off her bangles, pinning them to the hook hanging from the shorts belt loop. She had grown so used to the sensation of freedom that holding it together without the bangles felt like torture.

“What do you think you’re doing? It’d still take too many trips to carry us all!”  
Mana shot an irritated glance at the navigator. “Any better idea? We can sit here all quiet and wait for you to get one while _fighting for our lives_ , if you like.” Nami tightened her lips and narrowed her eyes. Mana rolled hers.  
“Nami-swan, you don’t have to worry! With my Sky Walk I can bring you unscathed wherever you want!”  
Robin took a step forward. “I could try something I’ve been working on for a while. I can’t promise it’ll work, but I can try.”

“Oh! Oh! Oh! Are we flying again?” Luffy bounced around, impatient. Mana nodded. “This time we have to be faster, so I’ll carry you with this form.” She said, stressing her words with a light flap of her wings. “Luckily, you’re a toothpick. Carrying you shouldn’t be a problem.” She joked. The guy flashed her a smile from ear to ear. He blatantly didn’t care how, he simply wanted to go back in the sky. Mana smiled back at him.  
“I never thought I’d see Luffy liking something better than fights. I’m astonished.” Muttered Nami under her breath.  
“Eh?”  
“Nothing, nothing.”

“Sanji, be kind. Could you be the one carrying Zoro?” said Robin calmly, walking to Nami and Usopp.  
“What?!”  
“What should this stuck-up idiot do?!”  
The archaeologist dismissed their complaints, shaking her head. “I can’t carry him, and I think he’d be too heavy even for Mana.” The blond turned his head towards her, torn. The girl shrugged as an apology.  
“All those muscles and in the end they’re just a hindrance.” Growled lowly the blond.  
“What did you just say?!” the swordsman faced him, ready. “I can perfectly go back swimming!”  
“Don’t be an idiot.” Nami shut him up. “If they shoot you while swimming, you’ll be defenceless. Put that stupid macho pride of yours aside for once, c’mon!” The two men stared at each other reluctantly.

Mana shifted her weight from one foot to the other, uneasy, while the seconds passed by and the marines drew closer. “Hear me out, if it’s a problem, I can carry him and Luffy goes with-”  
“Nooo!” complained Luffy, clutching onto her leg.  
“The captain has spoken. We’d better hurry.” Said Robin, forming an X with her arms. Mana looked at her in awe as dozens of arms sprouted from her back, clustering and shaping what seemed to be wings. The woman smiled at her, flapping them jokingly in her direction. Mana smiled, fascinated, and answered back with a light flap of hers.

“G-guys…?” Usopp stepped in, hesitant. “I don’t want to bother, but… what should I do?”  
The archaeologist gave him a particularly seraphic smile. And, because of that, sinister. “You’ll be my test case.”  
“… E-eh?” stuttered the sniper, turning pale.  
In place of answering, the woman simply shifted the position of her hands, keeping her palms outstretched and letting her thumbs touch. She focused, frowning. “Wing fleur, ausilia!” she exclaimed and, to everyone’s surprise, dozens of arms sprouted out of Usopp’s back, forming another pair of wings.  
The guy opened his mouth, marvelled. “Wow Robin, you’re always full of surprises! So I’ll be flying as well?”  
“Theoretically, yes.”  
“… _Theoretically?_ ”

There was no more time left to chat. A gun shot echoed terribly nearby and a bullet plunged into a trunk close to them. A second one plunged into Luffy’s back, to then be returned to the sender thanks to the guy’s gummy body. A cry of pain was heard a few metres away, mingling with the fast-approaching shouts of the trailing unit.  
“Go, go, go!” shouted Nami, jumping in Usopp’s arms and clutching onto him. Robin grunted – a strange sound, coming from her – and curled her fingertips. Immediately, Usopp and her took off. They were slow; it was blatant that her technique – other than not being perfect yet – asked the archaeologist a heavy energy toll.

Mana grabbed Luffy frantically from under his armpits, lifting him up and holding him close before spreading her wings. She ran to the edge of the promontory, ready to take flight; but then she turned her head, the sound of steel against steel catching her attention. Sanji and Zoro had started fighting against the marines, slowing them down and standing up against an entire squadron, alone.  
A sudden flash blinded her, forcing her to momentarily look away. Luffy struggled in her hold, striking a blow to a soldier aiming at his vice-captain.

Usopp turned, visibly worried. Those two were a force to be reckoned with but couldn’t do much against dozens of rifles aimed at them. A bullet hissed dangerously by his curly hair and both Nami and him let out a squeak. “Nami! Hand me Kabuto and the black bullets in my back pocket!”  
The girl in his arms did like she was told, trying to wiggle as little as possible. “Can you hold on by your own for a few moments?” he asked, trying to gather his courage for both of them. She nodded, settling down in his hold like a koala clenched to his chest. “Hurry!” Usopp lowered the gunsight on his eyes. “Ok, now stay still.” Ex-Sogeking turned, loading his arm. He didn’t have any kind of control over his wings, he’d have to let Robin do all the work. “Stiiill…” he murmured, pulling back the elastic band of his slingshot. Usopp clenched his teeth and let go of his hold. The bullet crumbled right on the forehead of a marine that was battling against Sanji and gave off a black smokescreen that rapidly invaded the nearby area. The cook hesitated, taken aback, before knocking down three more opponents with a quick series of kicks.

“Dammit, now even Long Nose feels like helping us.” He muttered through his teeth. He spat out his cigarette and dashed towards the swordsman. He barely let him the time to knock down a soldier before tackling him and carrying him away, running towards the cliff.  
“I swear I’ll slice you up, you shabby penguin!”

Mana breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the last two members of the crew slipping out on the marines. She turned her head towards the sea and Luffy immediately wrapped his arms around hers, already knowing what was going to happen. The girl wasted no time and jumped, relishing once more Luffy’s crystal laugh. 

While the Supernova was having fun dangling in the air, Mana raised her head and immediately sensed that something was wrong. Aside from the funny sight of Sanji carrying bridal-style a very recalcitrant Zoro, Robin was visibly tired. Mana tipped her wings and flew closer to her. The archaeologist’s forehead was beading with sweat, but she still managed to give her a tired smile. Mana frowned, and flew to the head of the pack, reaching first the cliff near which they had dropped anchor.  
As soon as she went around it, though, she noticed that there was already movement on deck. Franky, Brook and Chopper were busy pulling up the anchor and breathed a sigh of relief when they saw their comrades coming towards the ship.

“What’s going on?” asked Luffy, letting himself fall down to reach them.  
“We got busted, bro!” exclaimed Franky, pointing at a mass of gigantic rocks a few metres away with his big mechanic arm. A massive military ship was turning up from under the reefs, and the first cannonballs hisses with it.  
“The military base on this island must be highly efficient; weren’t it for my after-tea walk on water, I wouldn’t have noticed it!”  
_Walk on water?!_ Mana shook her head. It wasn’t time for questions.  
Sanji landed with his bulky cargo, cushioning the kickback with his strong legs. “I’d say we get away from here, fast. I go rescue our ladies, they seemed to be in trouble.” He said, letting Zoro fall down ungraciously. He ignored his comrade’s curses and took flight again, kicking the air quickly to rejoin Nami and Robin. Mana followed right behind and, together, carried the rest of the crew aboard.

“Any wounded?” asked Chopper, worried. Nami answered ‘no’ with a movement of her head, before addressing Franky. “Can’t we use a Coup De Bourst?”  
“Aw!” exclaimed the cyborg. “Among these cliffs, it’d be a suicide. The Sunny’d get opened up like a tin. We have to wait until we are further away from the coast.”  
The navigator nodded. “What are we waiting for, then? Let’s hurry!”

The Sunny began to move at an exasperatedly slow pace. And Mana knew, she knew that physically ships need time to gain speed; but worry pressed her to constantly shoot glances full of apprehension at the bigger ship on their tail. It had gained plenty of speed already, and kept on speeding up.

A cannonball brushed past the figurehead. The second one sank in Luffy’s inflated body. Usopp hurried to the side of the ship, ready to help to return fire. “What’s that?” he asked after two blows.  
“What?”  
The sniper pointed at the enemy’s ship figurehead with his finger. What seemed to be a big harpoon installed on a wooden structure had been aimed at them. “I don’t know, but I don’t like it.” Said Luffy with a grimace.  
“Mh?” Nami stepped in the conversation, looking in the direction that Usopp was pointing to. The redhead jolted. “Shit, they want to harpoon us!” she shouted. “Turn the ship, turn it! If they catch us with that it’s over, we’ll never get away with a Coup de Burst!” The whole crew, but Luffy and Usopp, dashed down to work, following quickly the navigator’s instructions. Mana remained in a corner, trying to not be a hindrance.

With heart in her throat, she mentally counted the metres that separated the ship from the last rock. The Sunny started to gain speed, exiting the area protected by the cliffs and entering the flow of the open sea currents.

There was a sudden deafening roar and the ship was shaken, its movements abruptly restrained. Mana stumbled, struggling to keep her balance. Robin fell on the floor, managing to keep herself up with her hands. “I’m afraid my technique is a lot more demanding than what I thought.” She joked wearily, when Nami rushed at her side. The navigator gave her a worried look. “You stay here and rest. We can handle it.” She reassured her, helping Robin sit up.

From the stern, Franky’s piercing scream was heard. Nami felt her blood freezing in her veins. Together with Mana, she rushed to see what had happened, though she had a horrible feeling in her heart; once they reached the stern, she discovered she had been right.  
Franky was kneeling next to the bulwark. The big harpoon had torn the wooden planks, breaking them and clawing onto the ship. The shipwright was crying as if his own son had been mutilated.  
“Bastards!” he howled, springing up and opening a number of sections in his body, revealing such an arsenal that Mana, for a moment, asked herself if there was some space left for organs there. With a cry of vengeance, the cyborg fired all of his rockets at the enemy’s ship, followed by Usopp and his bizarre bullets. They both cheered when the foremast snapped with a bang, falling sideways on the ship.

The cheers didn’t last long, though: thanks to the chain connecting the ships as a bridge, hundreds of soldiers were now running towards them, the swords unsheathed and ready for battle. Nami assembled quickly her Clima Tact and started to create a cloud right above the chain. Luffy threw himself on top of it, meeting the enemy head on followed by Sanji, which forced Franky to use light artillery to not harm his comrades.  
“Not you, Zoro!” the navigator called out for him. “You’ve got to cut this damn chain, otherwise we’ll never get away!”  
The swordsman stopped, looking at the chain with a critical eye. There were three of them, twisted up together. Each ring was thick like both of Franky’s arms, and it was entirely made of steel. Mana observed him as he unsheathed also his third sword, holding it with his teeth. He also wrapped his famous bandana around his head, to then stand still and stare at the chain as if he was studying every single inch of it. Was he looking for a weak link?

Chopper must have thought the same, because he stood in front of Zoro, allowing him to focus while the soldiers poured on the ship. The small reindeer transformed into something never seen before, stockier but certainly more agile, and faced the enemies with what seemed to be some sort of martial art.  
Out of the corner of her eye, Mana saw the giant skeleton run merrily on water, using a disturbing technique to freeze the water around the enemy’s ship, trying to slow it down. _Did he mean_ that _when he said “after-tea walk”?_

Mana chose to take flight again. She couldn’t turn into her full form, there was too narrow of a space for her to move freely and be useful. She flapped her wings vigorously, gaining altitude. After a moment of hesitation, she sprouted also her tail and started to circle a dozen metres above the battle field. With a growl, Zoro downed his swords on one of the chains, cutting cleanly through it. The chain fell into the sea, bringing with it the marines that were standing on its top. Two more left.

The soldiers who had managed to cross the chain bridge were still a lot. Nami grinned, ready to fry whoever would have had the unfortunate idea to stand under her cloud. Mana glimpsed a movement out of the corner of her eye, but she couldn’t warn her in time. Nami raised her Clima Tact. “ _Thunderbolt T-_ ”

A strong blast of wind made her stumble and cleared away the cloud. A big laugh came from the enemy. The voice was of an impressive marine with thick arms swinging a big flail. “What do you think you were doing with that fart, pirate?” he mocked her.  
Nami let out a cry when the man came closer, swinging the huge weapon. She moved backwards, but tripped on the leg of a knocked-out soldier and fell down.  
“Nami!” cried out Chopper.

Mana, from her position, saw the very moment in which Luffy and Sanji registered the approaching danger.  
Luffy was closer.

Covering his arm in Haki, the captain dashed towards the huge man, running on one of the chains left. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Nami, blocking the blow with his arm.  
The marine grinned. “I knew you’d have done it.” Mana saw confusion in Luffy’s eyes and a sudden sluggishness pressing his body downwards, making him sag on himself. A weakness that Mana knew way too well. “I’m a specialist in capturing pirates with powers, Straw Hat!” the big man laughed. “Don’t take it personally. You’re not the first who falls for it.”

Taking advantage of his opponent’s weakness, the soldier swung the marinestone flail again. Horrified, Mana saw almost in slow-motion the blow hitting the Supernova. Luffy saw it coming as well, he saw it clearly; but his suddenly weakened body didn’t move as he wanted to.

The blow hit Luffy hard and flanged him harshly off board. Mana almost forgot how to fly as she witnessed the Straw Hats’ captain falling into the sea and sink beneath the waves.

“Luffy!” Nami shouted a high-pitched cry, pulling herself on her feet and trying to clear her path with her staff, but she was outnumbered.  
“Dammit!” Black Leg was at her side in less than a second and brought several enemies down with one flaming kick.

With her heart in her throat, Mana darted her gaze everywhere; but for how much willing and desperate, nobody could freely go and save their captain. Everyone was engaged in a fierce fight; everyone was protecting their own life or a comrade’s.

Everyone.

But her.

Mana breathed heavily, stress taking her under like a wave. Like the waves that had taken Luffy under. She tightened her fists.  
She waited one, two, five seconds.  
Nobody dived in.

Mana folded back her wings against her sides and dived towards the sea.

***************************************

Here is an [art piece](https://scontent-mxp1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/45412839_1889300804456836_3356954985538519040_n.jpg?_nc_cat=100&_nc_ht=scontent-mxp1-1.xx&oh=f035cd546c5fb8e5144460aaa4e8f9ba&oe=5C77E870) of Patty, art name: Reverza! You can find her on [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/Reverzaart/) or [Tumblr](http://reverzaart.tumblr.com/) under the name of “reverza art” or on Instagram under @reverzaart! She accepts commissions, so go on and give her some love! As you can imagine, this drawing depicts the final scene of the last chapter, but it’s also meant to be a detailed character design of Mana, hence explained the bangles and bandages, otherwise absent in the final scene.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translator's notes: Here we are! With this chapter we've finally caught up with Nereisi's original story! Right now she's giving it her very best to write chapter six so bear it for a little longer and give her your support! I must say that I'm really proud of her for the endless efforts she's putting into the plot. Hang on tight for the sequel!
> 
> Leave a comment or kudos to this chapter to let her know your thoughts and go check out her blogs on Tumblr as [Nereisi](http://nereisi.tumblr.com/) or [Nerewrites](https://nerewrites.tumblr.com/).  
> Also, I'd like to thank my hard-working beta for having kept at bay all my English mistakes. You can find her on Tumblr as [Crispygarden](https://crispygarden.tumblr.com/).
> 
> If you want to keep track with my translations, namely Barefoot, you can follow me on Tumblr as [DanceLikeAnHippogriff](https://dancelikeanhippogriff.tumblr.com/). Use "#translation" or "#barefoot" to find the updates among all my junk!


	6. Faltering

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note:  
> Hi, everyone! It’s been a while. Forgive me for my absence but, as you probably know, I was busy with exams, work, and several translations. I’d have loved to keep this chapter for myself a bit longer, but my wisdom tooth is probably growing and I’m in such awful pain, I really need some positivity. I’ve been working on this chapter for a while, it’s been difficult trying to calibrate the clues to not spoiler too much. I take character’s characterisation at heart, I want them to evolve and to stay IC along their journey and it’s not that easy… So, I hope that you’ll enjoy this chapter!

  
_  
                                                                                                                             I'm faltering, faltering  
_

_ But still trying to stand my ground _

_ It's altering, altering _

_ Changing who I am _

(Song ["Faltering"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XN6OToAdcAk) by Days Difference)

Usopp let his slinger loose, rapidly shooting a sequence of bullets to then immediately seek shelter behind what was left of the aft bulwark.

“Franky, how are things on your end?” he shouted from behind his hideout.

The cyborg didn’t reply, he was too busy firing at every kind of target in his visual field. He hadn’t taken too well to the Sunny being damaged, and he was repaying the enemy with due interests. Now, the enemy’s ship had not even a single usable flap of sail, it would be impossible to chase them when – and Usopp knew that it was just a matter of time – the crew managed to get rid of that damn harpoon.

Usopp dared to take a look, and leaned his head out. He had disabled all the cannons that he could see, but one could never be too careful. He didn’t want to become a lead-flavoured Swiss Cheese. Just like he had hoped, thick lianas wrapped in a tight embrace the weapons on the military ship deck. A few soldiers were trying to free them, unsuccessfully. Usopp felt a surge of pride as he watched his babies revolting against the Marines’ knives, wrapping around them as well. For good measure, he made a couple of Rafflesia sprout next to the big harpoon. It was better to dissuade as many Marines as possible from trying to cross on that chain.

_Talking about chains, how is Zoro doing? The sooner we go, the better._

He hadn’t even finished to formulate the thought that Chopper’s voice raised, high and worried.

_“Nami!”_

The sniper’s eyes spotted easily the navigator in the middle of the chaos that their ship deck had become. The time it took him to intake the situation his comrade was into was more or less the time it took him to lose almost ten years of his life.

Usopp stared almost in slow motion at the huge flail falling upon her, blood roaring in his ears; a second stretched to an unconceivable level. Then, out of nowhere, a red flash; and Luffy was on the enemy, his body engulfed in swirling steam and his feet steady before the navigator.

Usopp closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. He loosened his grip on Kabuto and wiped his sweaty hand on his dungarees. That was a close one, but now that the captain was there they could focus on getting rid of those damn chains and clear off as quickly as they could.

He turned towards Franky, who had just calmed down his destructive fury.

“Hey, everything oka-”

Another cry reached his ears, warped by a few gunshots. Usopp and Franky turned suddenly, looking at the crowd to understand what was going on; and, right under their nose, they saw Luffy being hurled into the sea. Usopp almost swallowed his own tongue for the shock, letting out a choked sound.

Franky lashed out his frustration for his damaged creation and for what had happened to his captain by marching towards the enemy. “Bastard, pick on someone your own size!”. He howled, stomping and taking huge strides towards the big Marine. He perfectly knew that he couldn’t dive: he hadn’t eaten a Devil’s Fruit, but his heavy metal body made it difficult for him to swim all the same.

Usopp frantically looked around to see if someone was taking the initiative to dive. It wouldn’t be the first time he did it, obviously; but having bullets hissing from every direction wasn’t actually an incentive to do heroic deeds, that’s how it was. Unluckily for him, everybody seemed busy.

“It’s up to me, uh?” he said to himself in a shaky voice. He painted on his face a grin of fake determination, securing Kabuto on his back, and got closer to the bulwark, trying to stop himself from slowing down. Luffy’s life was at stake, after all; not even Usopp would’ve risked his captain’s life to keep his own ass safe. Not that much, at least.

“And here comes the great captain Usopp who, with great courage and nerve is about to snatch back from death his fallen comr- aCK!”. He almost choked on his own spittle.

Mana, her wings folded and her body as straight as a nail, was diving swift as an arrow towards the point Luffy had vanished beneath the waves a few seconds before. There was a mad expression on her face, as if she had all the intention of diving into the sea to rescue him.

“What the fuck are you doing?!” he shouted, climbing frantically on the bulwark. “Don’t! Watch it, I won’t fish you out too!”

Thanks to who knows what kind of entity, the girl with blatant suicidal tendencies heard him and spread her wings with a grunt to quickly regain altitude. She turned her head, staring at him with widened and surprised eyes.

“What were you thinking?!” screeched the sniper in a rush of sudden anger. He could swear he almost had an aneurysm for the fright. “I thought there was some sense in you; turns out you’re a bigger idiot than Luffy!”

The girl lowered slightly her head, as if she was thinking about what she was about to do. She was panting, adrenalin still rushing in her veins. Usopp frowned. Mana remained silent, clutching her arm. She was evidently feeling awkward and didn’t know where to look.

The sniper sighed heavily, jumping down the bulwark and diving. “Get me a rope!” he shouted while falling. He always had to be the one who thought about everything on that ship!

Mana snapped out of it, flapping quickly her wings to gain more altitude and fulfil Usopp’s request.

While he was getting himself ready for the impact with the water by getting in his personal corkscrew plunge position, he realised that he hadn’t been paying much attention to the danger of eventual stray bullets.

_Oh, well. Too late._

And he sank beneath the waves.

* * *

The Sunny shook noisily and Mana lost her grip on the bulwark, tumbling on the deck. She fell on her back; luckily, she didn’t have her wings at the moment, but the impact against the hard surface was enough to knock all the air out of her lungs.

Nobody helped her on her feet, so she had to wait a bit and recover before sitting up, slightly confused.

The crew had gathered around their wounded; above all, their captain. Judging from the mumbled groans coming from behind that wall of people, he was already conscious, though not able to stand yet. Mana stood up on her feet, approaching the group. As soon as they noticed her, they let her through allowing her to get closer to Luffy.

“How are you feeling?” asked Sanji offering her his arm, far too thoughtful. Since her head was still spinning, she accepted it silently.

After Zoro had managed to cut the last chain, the crew got quickly rid of the enemies aboard to then immediately activate the Coup de Burst, the Thousand Sunny’s trump card. Mana had never felt a pull so strong in her whole life. If she hadn’t been warned in time, they’d probably be separated by then or, at the very least, she’d be counting her broken bones.

She frowned, noticing someone else laying on the floor. “Robin? What happened?”

The woman smiled faintly while Chopper felt her apprehensively in different points in her body. “It was my fault, I didn’t hide well,” said the archaeologist. “A few Marines found me and attacked me. Do not worry, I was able to fight back,” she hurriedly added when she saw Mana’s eyes widen at the news.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” muttered Franky to himself, almost in a whisper. Mana overheard it simply because she was standing next to him, but before she could ask him what he meant by that, Chopper spoke up.

“She was already weakened when she arrived at the Sunny. The effort of using her fruit’s power again in her condition forced her body to suffer an excessive amount of stress due to the high energy toll, and she was already drained. Luckily, it’s not enough to threaten her life, but it surely is to make her completely defenceless. If anybody else had attacked her in this condition… she wouldn’t have been able to lift not even one finger. Just like now.” He demonstrated, lifting delicately the woman’s thin wrist and letting it fall down on her stomach. “I command strict bed rest. Strict, you hear me?” He waved a hoof at Robin’s direction with authority.

“Yes, doctor.” The woman smiled. Mana felt something heavy and awkward weighting on her stomach at the sight of that beautiful woman lying down, her energies drained, who still carried on smiling as if nothing wrong was happening. She curled her toes, feeling her joints crack.

“Also, you!” Jumped up Nami, making her accusatory index bolt in her captain’s direction. “What were you thinking when you got in front of me with that minuscule amount of haki to protect you, eh?!”

Luffy pouted. “Uh… didn’t think that through, I just came to save you and that was it.”

“Oh, what a sweetheart!” chirped Nami in a dreamy voice, her hands on her chest. “Do you think this would’ve been my reaction?” she screeched immediately after. “I thought you’d get a tiny bit of common sense in these two years, Luffy. Did you forget what happened in Sabaody? I thought you’d stopped throwing yourself into the fray without a plan in mind.” She paused, thinking it back. “Or rather, I know you’ll never stop that. You wouldn’t be yourself, otherwise. Stupidity is part of you. But… I thought you’d have stopped with unnecessary risks. We need you. Don’t you forget that.”

Nami’s rant came to an end and she almost deflated, folding back on herself and falling down on her knees next to her captain, who had become suddenly serious. Almost apologetic.

Zoro folded his arms on his chest. “She beat me to the punch.”

“Weren’t it for me, you’d have drowned, you dumb idiot,” muttered Usopp, clearly torn in between wanting to tell his heroic deeds and the urge to scold his captain.

“It wouldn’t have been just you!” shouted Sanji. Mana understood immediately what he meant and tried to let go of his arm, but not fast enough. “You made sweet Mana so worried that she was about to dive to save you!” Mana was sure she heard a “lucky bastard” chewed in a whisper, but didn’t pay it much attention. Now that everyone had turned to look at her, she felt as if with a spotlight pointing down at her and she didn’t like it one bit.

Luffy looked at her with a strange light in his eyes.

“Actually, I saw her as well,” stepped in Brook. “I was very impressed by your courage, but it was a jeopardy. You suffer from our own hindrance as well. You could’ve drowned.”

“Right! It was suicidal, what were you thinking? I would’ve had to fish out two idiots instead of one if I hadn’t stopped you in time!” exclaimed Usopp, barely dodging Sanji’s heel aiming for his nape.

Everyone was staring at her. “I- I didn’t… didn’t see you there,” she answered at last, her gaze glued to the ground.

Zoro clicked his tongue, indignant.

“Why do you always sacrifice yourself when not necessary? You did it back on the island too. We’ve been sailing for years now, we know how to deal with this kind of situations and with our captain’s craziness. We’re not defenceless civilians in need of rescue.” Nami scolded her, scanning her as if expecting to find a physical sign of her stupidity.

Luffy chuckled, folding his arms and using them as a pillow. “Well, it’s not like she did anything bad in the end. She just wanted to save me!” Mana raised her eyes abruptly, meeting his. That strange light in his eyes, again. She didn’t like it at all. “I can’t believe you were willing to go to such lengths. So you like us after all!” he joked.

Mana felt her blood freezing in her veins.

Luffy kept talking. “The way things stand, don’t be that grumpy anymore, okay? You act like Dadan. We know that you care for us already so you don’t have to hide it anymore.”

Mana didn’t hear him, thought. That sentence kept on echoing in her head.

_ I can’t believe you were willing to go to such lengths. _

Robin gave a sudden whimper of pain. Everybody’s attention shifted on her and Mana took the chance to vanish below deck, seeking shelter from prying eyes in the Sunny’s hull.

She didn’t notice Zoro track her with his eyes, a surly frown and a pensive expression on his face.

* * *

Brook walked carefully down the stairs leading to Franky’s laboratory, letting his fingers brush along the wooden handrail. The shipwright sat on a ridiculously small stool compared to his size, busy with welding a metal sheet. He was giving Brook his back for three quarters and was wearing a protective mask.

Brook waited patiently a few minutes for Franky to notice him. When that didn’t happen, he cleared his throat – or what was left of it. More than once. Unsuccessfully.

Brook lost his patience. For how noisy the welding torch was, it was impossible that Franky hadn’t heard him. He was being ignored. He tried one last time, clearing his throat with an excessive and unnatural violence; he’d have spat out a tonsil, if he still had them.

He clutched his hands around his cane, visibly irritated. He almost felt like slamming it on his hard head.

“Franky.” Nami called him out abruptly, approaching him. Brook gasped, spooked, not having heard her coming.

The shipwright sighed heavily, resigned. “Aw!” he said, faking a cheerful voice. He turned to face them, taking off the mask. “Do you need something?”

Nami folded her arms. “Yes. That you stop being depressed.”

Brook’s eyes bolted from one another, unsure as to how to step in that conversation.

“… I’m not depressed.”

“Ah, really? Then why are you all alone in a corner as if you’re grounded?”

“This is my laboratory. I’m always alone in my laboratory,” he said, stubborn.

There was a moment of silence.

“I don’t know why Brook was so patient and didn’t beat your head with his cane.” Brook coughed elegantly behind his hand.

Franky chose to play dumb, giving them his back and studying the metal sheet, hammering it.

Hammer blow. “Franky.”

“Mh?” Hammer blow.

“Franky, we need to tal-” Hammer blow.

“I’m listening.” The cyborg raised the metal sheet in front of his eyes, staring at it intently. Brook was willing to bet that it was just a stupid unimportant piece of metal.

Nami lost it. She took huge strides towards her irritating listener, tearing the hammer from his grasp and weaving it mendaciously a few centimetres from his face. “Do you want to see how I make you regain sensibility on your front part too? Eh, you damn walking clanker?!”

Brook rushed over to stop her, gripping her arms. “Nami-san, calm down!” Franky kept on working unfazed, a small hammer ejecting from one of his fingers.

Brook frowned at that behaviour. “Nobody’s blaming you. You know that, right?”

The small hammer slammed violently against the metal plate, making a sharp and pitchy noise. Franky stopped. His shoulders were hunched and tense.

Brook let go of the navigator’s wrists. Nami sighed heavily, clutching one of her arms with her hand, suddenly insecure as to how to approach him. “Brook’s right. Nobody’s holding it against you.”

“I know you’d have said that,” said Franky, letting go of what he was holding, uninterested.

“I thought you’d be worried for Robin-san’s condition. I noticed your discomfort on the deck.”

“Yes, well, I wanted to stay by my own if you please.”

“Not if that means leaving you alone with your pointless guilt picking at what’s left of the grey matter in between your ears.”

“Pointless?” Franky turned his head, teeth clenched. “If I had noticed that she was in danger, I could’ve helped her, no matter the distance.” He tapped his temples. “I didn’t add scopes for nothing.” He tightened his fist. “But I was too busy destroying the enemy’s ship, instead.”

Nami got closer, a whole new expression on her face. “Franky, the deck was chaos, too many marines. It’s just normal that you didn’t notice it.”

The shipwright rested his elbows on his knees. “No, it’s not. I _know_ I could’ve. I don’t have Usopp’s eyes, but my eyesight is still sharper than yours.”

“Don’t say that, Franky. If we want to put it that wat, then it’s my fault _too_. If I weren’t this weak and in constant need of help, Luffy could’ve gone to Robin instead of me.”

“I couldn’t help him either, if it comes to that.”

Nami made a frustrated noise.

Brook stepped in earnestly. “I couldn’t dive either. And I was closer than you were. Do you think that I didn’t torment myself when I saw him falling a few metres away from me? I could solely keep on running.” He clenched his bony hands – literally – and lowered his gaze. “If Usopp hadn’t dived I’d have lost my captain and I couldn’t have done anything to avoid it. Again.” The skeleton could feel both of his companion’s eyes on him and hurriedly raised his head. “What I mean is… Troubling yourself over the past is pointless. You’d be stuck. Believe me, I know.”

“Aw, bro…” said Franky, a smile stretched on his lips. “Thanks. But I _am_ stuck in the past. I thought I changed. I was too caught up with destroying everything that got in my weapon range, instead, throwing at them all I had. I’m still who I used to be, after all.”

“Bullshit. You were angry, it’s normal that you had the blood rushing to your head. It doesn’t mean that you’re a war machine,” she paused “Even though you’ve got weapons even up your ass-”

“Nami-san!” exclaimed Brook, outraged.

“What?! You’re the only one who can curse?” Her gaze darted to his face. “Gotcha! Come on, you’re smiling. Now stop it with this drama, the stern is a wreck. Plus,” she said with a smile full of complicity “I think that Robin would love if you visited her in the infirmary. It’d do her good to laugh a bit, at least!”

Franky lowered his shoulders, defeated. “There’s never a quiet moment in this crew, uh?” he sighed with a smile on his lips. “But I don’t think that I’ll get rid of this weight that soon.”

The navigator took her chin in her hand, pensive. After a few minutes of silence, she raised abruptly her head. “That’s it!” she exclaimed. “Why don’t you and Brook follow his advice?”

Franky tilted his head to side and looked at Brook with an interrogative expression. The other raised his hand and shook his head in reply, completely lost.

“You can’t be stuck in the past. So the solution is easy: move forward. Both of you.” She rested her hands on her hips, a determined expression on her face. “Just because we’ve spent two years training it doesn’t mean that we’ve stopped growing. There are plenty of things that we can still improve.” Brook opened his jaw to ask for explanations, but Nami was faster. “You,” she exclaimed, her finger darting in his direction “you could try and evolve your ability to run across water.” She explained. “Who knows, you may even find a way to help when that idiot will fall again into the sea. Because we all know that it’s just a matter of time.”

Brook didn’t have eyeballs anymore; but he could see nonetheless. And in that moment all that he could see was Nami in her shining beauty and cunning; Nami, who had just served him on a silver plate the possible solution to one of his greatest torments. He quickly wiped the corner of his orbits with his sleeve. “That I shall do. Thank you, Nami-san.”

The navigator grinned before turning and pointing her finger at Franky. “You, on the other hand…” she hesitated. “Well, I can’t actually tell you to work more on your body. I don’t know if there’s a single free centimetre left! But… If you’re worried about your destructive side, try and work the opposite way. Maybe focusing on crafting something?” She shifted her weight on her left leg. “Honestly, I’m not that sure about what I can suggest you to do. Your love for weapons is part of you, after all. However, if you’re worried about it being too visible, and I’m not saying that’s how things are, okay, I’m just making hypothesis here, but, as I was saying, if you want to integrate _something_ to your apologies to show effectively that you want to change… Well then, a handmade present would do the trick.” Her arms fell at her sides and her bracelet clinked against the log pose. “I can’t tell you which kind of present, obviously, that’s something you’ve got to figure out on your own! It’s the thought that counts in this kind of things, right?”

The laboratory went briefly silent while Franky stared at her with wide-opened eyes.

“… Have I ever told you that your advices are amazing?”

“No, but feel free to flatter me all you want.” She said, flipping dramatically her hair behind her shoulder.

The cyborg grinned. “Thanks, Nami, you’re the best.”

“Wonderful, that’s a good start!”

“But…” Franky hesitated. “I can’t go and visit her. Not yet. I don’t think I deserve it right now. I still feel guilty for what happened.” He tightened his fists. “She’s… important, to me. And I was about to lose her.” He swallowed forcefully the knot that had formed in his throat.

Nami’s playful expression vanished. “Oh, Franky…” she said, worry in her eyes. She gently placed one hand on his forearm to cheer him up.

“I can’t stop thinking about what could’ve happened if she weren’t able to defend herself, or if someone had attacked her when she couldn’t fight anymore.” He raised his head and looked at Nami, grateful. “But I’ll try my best to get over it. I’ll do it for her too.”

She hugged him. When the hug was over, she gave him and encouraging smile. “Good. And be quick. She’s waiting for you to find your resolve.”

“Aw!” he exclaimed, blushing suddenly. Nami laughed.

“Franky… I was wondering…” said Brook tentatively, wringing the hem of his jacket.

“Mh?”

“Does it mean that I can’t ask her to show me her panties anymore?”

* * *

Mana didn’t think that she could’ve evaded Mugiwara’s attention for forever. It would have been stupid. For how much she knew by heart the maze inside the Sunny’s hull, the crew knew that ship like the back of their hands; plus, it was a _ship_ , indeed. She had nowhere to escape, she could only delay the inevitable. With Robin out of the game and without her powers to follow her every move, Mana had actually thought that she could have avoided them for a couple of days at least.

However, it was but the day after the battle when Sanji appeared in front of her in one of the narrow hallways where she had fled to; midday, more precisely.

Mana was expecting his usual over-the-top attitude but when he spoke, even though it showed how happy he was to see her, he was surprisingly serious. “Come with me, please. You haven’t eaten anything since yesterday afternoon.”

Mana stared at him warily. Those words had taken her aback. She didn’t answer.

“Seeing all those soldiers yesterday must have shocked you, I understand, but you can’t ignore your nutritional requirements. It’s unhealthy.” He tried again.

Mana blinked at him. Was that what he thought? What they thought? That she had been traumatised by all those Marines?

He looked back at her, confused. He tilted his head. “… Do you want me to bring your lunch here?”

She relaxed her shoulders and a bit of tension left her body. She shook her head. Sanji’s face opened in a smile, offering her his hand to stand up. Mana took it, cracking a smile as well.

If she couldn’t avoid it, she’d rather get it over with.

* * *

Eating together with them after the events of the day before was strange. Very strange. She couldn’t make up her mind on which behaviour to keep.

She didn’t want to go back to being an apathetic bitch. It wouldn’t be right and she’d have felt awkward if she’d forced herself to be like that. On the other side, she couldn’t play dumb either. Or rather, she could; nobody could stop her. But she knew that the day before everyone had noticed her behaviour and her actions; there was something in the air for sure. She glanced at Nami out of the corner of her eye. She could bet that the navigator was hardly trying not to bury her in questions.

She adjusted to her sit, straightening her back. She had resolved to face whatever they’d have thrown at her; which didn’t mean she was ready to.

The Straw Hats had hit the bullseye on one thing: she surely _was_ shocked. Just, not for the reasons they thought.

The words that Luffy had said while lying down kept on ringing in her head. Every time she caught herself thinking about them, she could physically feel her guts twisting like a rag. There it goes, exactly like in that moment. _No, stomach, still! Be a good boy._

“Everything all right? You’ve been staring at your dish for a while now. Are you feeling sick?”

Mana snapped out of her trance, looking for the person who had just spoken. At the other side of the table, Chopper was looking at her with big eyes filled with worry.

She shook her head. “Mh-mh.” She murmured with her mouth closed. She lowered her gaze, staring at her dish. She didn’t even notice the food. As a main course there were a few simple yet delicious buns. She took one in between her fingers and brought it to her mouth, biting off a piece. It was filled with ham and hot cheese, but not hot enough to burn her tongue. A string of still linked to the bun. She pulled back her arm to severe it, but it stretched even more. She repeated the action, this time pulling her head back to put more distance in between; but the string of cheese mocked her stretching again and again. She frowned, disappointed. She resolved to munch it centimetres by centimetres with her lips.

Chopper looked at her, curious. Mana felt a sudden guilt taking over her for her behaviour. She had made the small doctor worry more than  necessary. She tried to crack a smile with her mouth full, but right in that moment the gap between her lips and the bun vanished without her realising it and she dipped her nose in the creamy filling.

Luffy broke into a loud shameless laugh, pointing his finger in her direction. Mana noticed suddenly that things were eerie calm, which was strange for that group, and silence weighted on the table like a thick cloak. They were all looking at her, air filled with anticipation.

She pulled her head back, tilting it, a question on the tip of her tongue. Luffy met her eyes and he choked on a snort, nasal and loud like the call of a pig.

She had cheese on her nose.

The laughter slipped out without her permission, popping like a bubble, accidental like hiccups. She was surprised of her own reaction as well. After a moment of hesitation, her lips opened in a genuine smile.

As if a spell had been lifted, the kitchen became loud again as usual. Luffy kept on grinning at her from the head of the table, his mouth and cheeks completely dirty though the meal was very simple. Any shadow of worry had finally vanished from Chopper’s eyes, who was now sipping cheerfully his juice.

Nami, who was sitting next to her, took a napkin and quickly wiped the tip of her nose, smiling at her with a knowing look. “Twenty-one, uh?”

Mana glared at her, but slowly relaxed. It seemed that nobody was staring at her like before, each one of them focused on their food or chatting with their comrades. Maybe they’d decided to not question her anymore and let it go.

She focused on her bun again. Her appetite was back.

* * *

Thinking back at it, she had been naïve.

“Are you sure?” pressed her Chopper.

The thin grass of the deck tickled lightly the bottom of her feet. “Yes.”

“Because there’s nothing wrong in admitting that you could use some help. You know that, right?”

She tightened her fists. “I do.”

“And you know that if you need to talk, we’re all here for you, right?”

She breathed in. _Keep calm_. “Yes.”

Chopper crossed his arms, visibly unsatisfied. “Okay…” he said, not persuaded in the slightest.

There was a moment of silence and Mana thought, naively again, that the interrogation was over.

Usopp stepped in. “So, are you actually sure you don’t have a death wish?”

“Usopp!”

“So what?! It’s what we’re all thinking.”

“Thinking it is one thing, quite another to say it aloud! And in that way. I don’t want her to feel even more uneasy.”

Mana tried hard not to react. She had an _uncanny_ and urgent need to throw herself into the sea again.

Nami stared at her. “I was trying not to bring it up, but Usopp _is_ a little right. It’s worrying that you don’t care about your own safety.”

Mana didn’t reply, breaking out in a cold sweat.

Nami got closer, placing her hands on her arms. Mana couldn’t help but looking at her in the eyes, her heart racing. “Do you feel like telling me why you always put yourself in danger when not necessary?” she asked with a serious look. “Mh? Why did you throw yourself into the sea to save Luffy? I mean, it’s pretty clear why, and we’re all thankful for the thought.” She laughed nervously. Mana swallowed. “It’s very noble of you. What I want to know is… why did you dive if you know perfectly well that you can’t swim? You would’ve died. Weren’t it for Usopp, you would’ve drowned together with him. Do you understand?” She paused, a visible knot in her throat that choked her voice in spite of her efforts to keep calm.

“Tsk.” The two girls turned. Zoro was leaning against the mainmast, his face expressionless. “It’s pretty clear to me. And I think that she knows it perfectly well too. So,” he mumbled, tilting his head. His earrings twinkled under the warm sunlight. “there’s only one option left. She doesn’t _want_ to die. She simply doesn’t value life enough.”

All the people present frowned.

“I-I…” muttered Mana, taken aback, before regaining control of herself and shutting her mouth close.

“Wait a second, Zoro. What does it mean that _she doesn’t value life enough_?” asked Usopp.

“You might as well say that she doesn’t value her _own_ life. Or am I wrong?” he asked flatly. He looked at her as if he had read her inside, and Mana couldn’t hide anymore how much he disliked him in that moment. She didn’t reply, throwing at him a venomous glare.

“Oi, moss-head,” warned him Sanji.

“It means,” he continued, unfazed “that she knows well that she can’t do anything but risking her life to be of some use.” He stood up, towering over her. “Because the only thing that she can do is flap her wings around.”

A cacophony of shouts exploded while the two of them stared at each other in the eyes. The first with anger and shame, the second with the calm of who knows they’re right.

“Watch your mouth,” growled Sanji.

“Be outraged all you want, but it’s the simple truth.” Concluded the swordsman, crossing lazily his arms. “I never sugarcoat anything for anyone. We decided to take her with us, but I don’t want a dead weight on the ship. She’s weak and useless on the battlefield. The only things that she can do is throwing away her life and hope for the best.”

“You stupid gorilla!” Nami jumped up putting herself in between Mana and him. “Why would you say something like that? I’m weak too, I’m probably the weakest out of all of us.” She bit her own lip.

Franky tried to step on. “Oi, Nami-”

“It was my fault.” She talked over him. “Luffy ended up outboard because I’m too weak to face stronger opponents.” She looked at Zoro with fiery eyes. “I guess that I’m useless too, then.” She spat out, sarcastic.

“Nonsense. You’re the navigator, your presence is vital for us. What can _she_ do other than act cold all the time? She’s not even helping us to solve this damn case; which was the reason why she stayed with us, by the way. Also, it was the only reason why I went along with her sudden presence aboard. But she constantly keeps her mouth shut and refuses to tell us anything useful.” Both Nami and Mana flinched; he had hit too close to home, but for different reasons. “And on top of that, now I should also babysit her at every battle with the thought that she could put herself or my companions in danger? Don’t think so.”

Mana couldn’t hold it any longer. “I’m not a danger to myself! I’m sorry I upset you, but I didn’t mean to-”

“Why did you dive?”

She shut abruptly her mouth close. Zoro was looking at her with a harsh look. “I thought that nobody could. I didn’t see Usopp. I couldn’t let him die. I had to do something-”

“And did that something include sinking happily with Luffy to keep him company?” He grimaced, showing his teeth in a painful smile. “That’s why I’m saying that you’re a threat to my comrades. There will always be someone on this ship willing to save your ass at the cost of their life. They get attached too easily.”

Mana gritted her teeth.

“Oi, moss-head, aren’t you just jealous?” Sanji provoked him making a face.

Zoro snapped out of his staring contest with Mana and looked at him as if he told him that he was a Yonko. “Ah?!”

“The sweet Mana dived risking her own life for our captain and what were you doing instead? Glaring at a chain. Aren’t you just ashamed that a _woman_ was more useful than you?”

Mana frowned. “A _woman_?”

“Glaring at-?!” Zoro scoffed. “Do you have an idea of how sturdy that chain was? It was reinforced with seastone and God knows what else! It took a lot of focus to cut it!” He snapped.

“Yes, of course. A perfect excuse for not having dived.”

Zoro head-butted him, but the blond didn’t back up, standing his ground. “Now listen here, you damn powdered stuck-up-”

Luffy snickered, visibly amused by their usual bickering.

Mana’s patience, instead, had definitely thinned out. She walked past Nami, standing in front of the two men to get their attention. “With all due respect, Black Leg, I have no use for your consideration. Just because I’m a _woman,_ ” she stressed the word, almost mocking him “It doesn’t mean that I can’t take care of myself.” She turned towards Zoro. “I never asked for help from anybody, I know perfectly well what I can and can’t do.”

The swordsman stopped bickering with his comrade, staring at her from head to toe, unimpressed. “Doesn’t seem like you’ve done much to me, actually.”

She sighed, irritated. “I’m not used to fights that chaotic. And in an open field! I’ve always been alone, that’s why I don’t know how to fight together with someone else. But as for defending myself, I can do it perfectly. Sure, it’s more difficult against a group, but in a one-on-one fight I have no problems.”

Zoro remained silent for a while, a neuter expression on his face. “… No problems, uh?” He murmured at last. Mana studied him, weary. The man walked away from the group and, in plain sight, pulled two of his swords out of his belt and rested them on the ground next to the mainmast.

“What are you doing?”

He faced her again. “Giving you the chance to prove me wrong.” He walked to the less crowded spot on the deck. “Come on.” He waved her to follow him. “One-on-one, just how you like it.”

Nami stepped in. “Zoro, what are you-”

“Are you against it, Luffy?”

The captain and his right arm looked at each other in the eyes for a few seconds, though it felt like hours. They both were extremely serious. Seeing Luffy with a face like that gave off a sense of unease.

“No.”

Nami wheezed, shocked. “Luffy!” she exclaimed, outraged. “What are you saying?!”

Mana took a step forward. “Thanks for your worry.” She said. She hoped that Nami couldn’t notice how forced her smile was.

She disentangled gently from her hold, walking towards Zoro. The rest of the crew looked at each other, hesitating before following their captain’s example and taking a step backwards, letting enough room around the two fighters.

Zoro pulled out his last sword, wielding it by its sheath and keeping it close to his leg without unsheathing it. He bended his neck to the side with a sudden movement, making it crack. He didn’t make any other movement, but it was obvious that he was already on guard. It had been a silent agreement: there wouldn’t have been a countdown for their fight.

Mana was facing him, but she put one of her feet back to be less exposed. With a care and slowness that were almost reverential, her body gradually got into a stance that she hadn’t used in a long time. She bended slightly her knees. She lowered her chin. Her bended arm slipped against her flank, the other kept softly stretched in front of her. She breathed in and opened her mouth to then close it immediately after. _I shouldn’t tell him that I’m way out of shape. He’d think of it as an excuse._ Her mind ran back to afternoons under a shiny sun, to secret flights in the warm light of the sunset, to a grouchy yet gentle voice.

She shook her head and cleared her throat, focusing on the present. _Those times are long gone_.

A menacing glare twinkled in the only visible eye of his opponent. Mana swallowed.

Before she could even realise it, the swordsman pounced her. She didn’t have problems with his surprise attack, but she didn’t expect it to be that quick. She barely blocked it with both of her arms, and the situation ended up in a momentary stall.

“Military martial arts, uh? Peculiar choice.” He murmured.

She hesitated a moment too much before replying: “I was forced to learn them while held captive.” Zoro smirked. Mana felt her rage building up.

She tried to step back, but Zoro let go of his sword with one hand and struck a punch covered in haki to her flank. The impact sent her on the ground a few metres away. She barely registered the crew’s exclamations. She didn’t expect a special treatment. Even though, all things considered, the fact that he was attacking her only with one katana instead of three could’ve been a special treatment in itself. Mana gritted her teeth. She was well aware that the swordsman was infinitely stronger than her and that, although it was a one-on-one, every factor in that fight was against her; but the awareness of having been underestimated without even having shown one third of what she was capable of burned too badly.

She got on her feet just in time to get down and duck a lunge. She landed on all fours and twisted her weight on the left heel to land a quick kick to his head with her right leg. Zoro pulled his head back, dodging it. Mana gave in a brief smile before bending her knee and wrapping her leg around the sword. As planned, Zoro had no problems with lifting her whole, trying to shake her off his weapon. _If he thinks that I only know martial arts, he’s way off. I’ve never followed the rules to a T._

Her bangles reflected faintly the sunlight on the planks where she’d hurriedly left them.

It all happened in a few moments. Mana took advantage of the momentum and flexed her abs, lifting the upper part of her body over the sword, using the leg wrapped around it as leverage. While doing that, she twisted her hips and summoned the powers of her fruit. Her legs turned into huge predatory claws and the left one clashed violently against her opponent’s head.

Zoro lost his grip and was thrown away, separated from his weapon. Mana used her wings to help her own balance, letting the sword fall down on the deck, forgotten, the blade peeking out of the sheath but for a few centimetres.

Mana caught her breath, putting one hand on her sore flank, a bit hunched. She turned to see what had been of Zoro, but he found him way too close, a devilish expression on his face.

Widening her eyes, Mana tried to soar, but taking off was more difficult and slower from the ground. Zoro caught her by her foot – or better, by her claw – and slammed her ungraciously face-first onto the ground. Mana gasped for air, stunned by the impact.

Before she could react in any way, she was lifted by a wing. She hadn’t taken many blows, but they’d been powerful enough to make her dizzy. Suddenly facing Zoro, she desperately tried to react by swinging blindly a punch at his head. He blocked it with a forearm covered in haki without even blinking. That same arm darted towards her face. Mana couldn’t dodge it completely in time; but, instead of the expected blow, she felt her cheek burning and a cut appeared where his hand had swung. A strand of hair twirled in the air. Mana widened her eyes, her stomach twisting.

She fixed her gaze in Zoro’s eye, trembling. That man was a demon.

Zoro pulled his arm back, his gaze shifting slightly to the right. Realising what he was about to do, Mana bit back a swearword and recalled her fruit. Zoro’s attack hit where a few moments ago was one of her wings, a blow so rapid that the wind whipped her hair on her face.

With a grunt, Mana gathered her strength and kicked the swordsman’s chest with all her might, distancing from him and tumbling on the floor yet again. She panted heavily, exhausted. She briefly contemplated to throw in the towel. Then, an authoritative voice told her to _never give your back to the enemy, damn you!_ Just a breath away, in her mind followed a series of memories of running away at breakneck speed, chases in narrow alleys, runs with her heart in her throat and hell on her heels. She tightened her fists, firm. No, it couldn’t end like that. Surrender meant chains, it meant a humid and cold cell, steel biting into her flesh and evil grins from the other side of the bars.

She rolled on her back, determined to get up on her feet and fight even by throwing grass in his eyes, if necessary.

The tip of Wado Ichimonji’s sheath at a hair’s breadth away from her nose welcomed her try to sit up. She stopped breathing, paralysed. How long had she been on the ground? Did she give him enough time to retrieve his sword?

Zoro was looking at her from above, an unreadable expression on his face. “You are a quick thinker and you’re creative with your attacks, I’ll give you that. I couldn’t read you. But those are nothing but a hindrance if you don’t know the Armament Haki.” He said. “Your fruit isn’t suited for fights, but to escape.” Mana bit her lip, trying with all her might to remind herself that there was nothing wrong in running away when a harsh certain defeat lied ahead. But his words burned the same.

He studied her, tilting his head. “Your martial arts are not refined and lack strength.” He continued, tapping ungraciously her arm with the tip of the sheath. “More suited for a man than a skinny girl like you.” She tried to not give off how pissed she was at his last comment, but judging from the ironic smirk on the swordsman’s lips she didn’t manage to.

Their staring battle went on, unbroken. After a while, the Pirate Hunter pulled the sword away from her face, putting it back in the sash around his waist. Mana breathed out heavily from her nose.

Zoro gave her his back, leaving her on the ground for everyone to see. “You’ve got potential. But right now you’re weak.” He sentenced, walking away.

No one uttered a word. Not even when Nami and Chopper got closer to help her up, nobody talked.

Mana stared at the blades of grass swaying lazily on the deck and a wave of humiliation and helplessness hit her.

He hadn’t even unsheathed his sword.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note:  
> The fighting style without sword and with arms covered in haki was taken by the One Piece Gold movie and it’s called Mutoryuu.  
> To stay updated with my translations and works and to keep track with me, you can follow me on Tumblr!
> 
> Translator's note:  
> We're finally back with the SIXTH chapter of Barefoot! Let us know what you think!
> 
> You can leave comments, kudos, or check out her blog on Tumblr as [Nereisi](http://nereisi.tumblr.com/) or [Nerewrites](https://nerewrites.tumblr.com/). Let's give this hardworking author some love and appreciation! <3
> 
> Also, I'd like to thank my beta reader for having kept at bay all my English mistakes. You can find her on Tumblr as [Crispygarden](https://crispygarden.tumblr.com/).
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Again, let us know!


	7. Sauntering

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: This is a chapter of transition, which lays the foundations for a fundamental future development. A few clues about Mana were already scattered both in this chapter and in the preceeding ones... Who guesses the juicy parts wins a cookie! To keep track with my other works and translations you can follow me on [Tumblr](https://nerewrites.tumblr.com).

Chopper hopped down the chair, taking the old bandages away. Mana sat up and brought one hand to her stomach. The little doctor had applied an ointment on the bruise that was already blooming on her skin and he had then covered it with a gauze to not let it dirty her shirt.

The infirmary was silent, the only sound being the ruffle of cotton balls soaked with disinfectant thrown away in the trash can. The wound on her thigh was healing well and almost all of the stitches had fallen out on their own. There were only two left, which was why Chopper decided to use a more practical plaster instead of bandages, even though her skin dried up every time due to the plaster glue. Every time he changed her medication, the little reindeer applied a cream to hydrate the spot to then let her skin breathe as long as possible before covering the cut with another plaster. Her clash with Zoro caused her healing wound to slightly reopen. Chopper seemed utterly irritated, his muzzle gloomy as he cleaned her cut from the blood and serum.

“It’ll take longer than expected for it to heal completely.” He said, reorganising his first aid kit. “And, sadly, the scar won’t be as thin as I told you at first anymore.”

Mana glanced at the medication. The plaster covered her wound, but it wasn’t too close to the edge of her tattoo. She shrugged. “Not a problem. It doesn’t hurt, I don’t even feel it.”

Chopper turned to her, bringing a pill and a glass of water. “Here, it’s an antibiotic. I didn’t see any sign of infection, but better safe than sorry.”

After she had reluctantly swallowed the pill down, Mana rested her back to the backrest of the bed, covering herself with the sheets. Chopper gave her a dejected glance before heading back to his desk.

“Our swordsman is rude and as delicate as an elephant in a china shop.” Said a voice coming from her left. “However, many of the things he says are true.”

Mana turned her head. Nico Robin smiled at her from the adjacent bed, the backrest lifted to its maximum but still not touching her body; that was just how upright she was sitting. Her torso straight, her hands elegantly placed over the book that she had been reading until a few moments before, her legs bended close to her body. She felt the urge to march to her bed and force her to lay down. She couldn’t understand her self-imposed and strict grace; it seemed as if she wanted to appear collected even while recovering from a harsh blow. “He had no ill intentions. Don’t be mad at him.”

“I’m not mad.” Lie. “And, after all, he’s right: what he said is true. I guess that I was too used to count only on myself, to have the whole world against me. I think that I still have to process all... this.” She said, gesturing vaguely with her hand to indicate the whole situation. “Anyway, weren’t you supposed to rest? Does Chopper know that you used your powers when at your limit?”

Robin seemed suddenly absorbed by the reading that she had interrupted moments before. She blatantly avoided her glance, picking the book up in her hands. Mana widened her eyes at the woman’s childish reaction but, before she could say anything, the door opened to reveal Nami.

Her bed was right in front of the door, and the navigator met her eyes, stopping at the entrance. After clearing her throat, she came in, trying to dissimulate her nervousness and embarrassment. Mana’s heart was racing, but she tried to appear calm. The time of her third degree had finally come.

Nami walked through the infirmary and hesitated a bit before sitting at the end of Robin’s bed. The woman smiled at her, before resuming her reading. In the hallway, Usopp was trying to stealthily peek inside the room, but his long nose made his efforts unsuccessful.

“How are you feeling?” Nami asked politely.

“Good. Well, not _good_ good. I’m feeling relatively better given the beating that I took.”

Nami grimaced. “Sanji is probably kicking the shit out of him.”

Mana laughed, slightly uneasy.

Nami stared at her toes, rubbing her knees together. Robin looked intently at her book, even though she wasn’t turning the pages. Mana heard the navigator inhale deeply and braced herself for their imminent discussion.

“Listen...” Nami hesitated. She breathed in, then closed her mouth. She remained silent for a while, trying to find the best way to start. “I hate to agree with that gorilla.” She said in the end. “Especially when he acts in that way to get his point across. I didn’t like how he talked to you. I didn’t like what he said about us either... However.” She crossed her heels, lifting her head without looking at her face. “What he said is true.” Her lips tightened in a thin line. A heavy silence fell on the room. Mana remained silent, kept a calm expression, and waited.

“Up until now, I tried to make do with the info that you gave us. I understand that talking about it would only bring up unpleasant memories and I wanted... I don’t know, I guess that I wanted to let you take your time to trust us and open up on your own.” She swallowed. “However, in the back of my mind I knew that we needed all the information you could give us, and that thought never went away. I just didn’t want to think about it. I wanted us to have a relationship built on mutual trust. But... Zoro is right. We can’t waste time when the situation is extremely delicate.” Finally, she raised her head and met her eyes. “I don’t have the right to say anything about the matter of “weakness”. It’d be pretty hypocritical of me, I’m one of the weakest people on this ship and I would _pay_ to have the strength you showed today. Still...” Her expression was now determined. “I can’t wait anymore. Tell us what you know. Please.”

Mana held her gaze. The anticipation made her heart race, but she forced herself to breathe normally and to not blush. _It was just a matter of time_. “I see. Ask away.”

Nami seemed taken aback by her answer. She was probably expecting her to be more reluctant; surely not just… _accepting_. Robin’s eyes darted in her direction, unreadable as always. Nami quickly snapped out of it and leaned forward disentangling her ankles. “Tell me more about the kidnappings. Do they choose their victims or is it random? Are there any preferences? How do they lure them in?”

“Oh, they do have preferences, they sure have.” Said Mana through her teeth. She took a moment to swallow the sudden spark of rage that had made her stomach twist and tried not to be too anxious.

“... Everything all right?” asked Usopp, who had silently entered in the infirmary while Nami was speaking.

Mana gave him a stretched smile. “Yes. Yes, sorry. It’s just that... I’m remembering what they said and... it’s not pleasant.”

Nami seemed mortified by her reaction and lowered her eyes guiltily. Mana regretted having showed her emotions without thinking and she felt a bitter taste in her mouth at the sight of the girl’s guilt.

“I had already told you something about it a while ago, if you remember.” She hurriedly added, masking emotions that she couldn’t be bothered with in that moment. The others looked at her, attentive. “Social status.” She explained. “Children have to come from a lower class. This way, if they were to vanish, there wouldn’t be many people alerted, and after a while they’d be forgotten.” Their faces darkened. They remembered it well.

Robin had closed her book and put it aside, giving Mana all of her attention. Even Usopp seemed to stand more upright when serious.

“When I was in that place... I was a prisoner. So I don’t think I met all the children that were kept there. But, from what I saw, they were all teenagers. The younger one was eleven.” She took a deep breath. “I was one of the oldest; I saw very few people of my age.” Nami’s pained expression when she mentioned all those young victims broke her heart. She saw her torturing her own hands, trying to contain her rage without interrupting her.

“I spoke with my comrades, when I could. Many of them, including myself, came from wild lands. I’m not sure whether it was a coincidence or a common trait. Probably the latter. Maybe they thought that growing up in inhospitable lands made our bodies stronger. So that we could better endure their _training_.” She said, spitting out the last word with bitterness.

The two women narrowed their eyes.

“What do you mean by training? Why did you say it like that?” muttered Usopp.

Mana stared off into the distance. For a while, the only noise in the room was the clinking of the glass vials as Chopper tidied up his desk. It was probably an excuse to stay in the infirmary and listen. Mana curled up her toes.

“It was... inhuman.” She said at last. “I mean, as if kidnapping us wasn’t inhuman enough.” She attempted a laugh, but all that came out was a bitter gurgle. She cleared her throat. “Their intent is not training a simple army, stronger and more disciplined... No. They want to create super soldiers, designed exclusively to hunt pirates. And not just any pirate: Emperors, Supernovas... Our target was any man, woman or child who had a bounty over 100 million Berries on their heads. _Roger’s spawn,_ that’s how they called them. Whoever sails the seas without subjecting themselves to the authority of the World Government, inspired by the late Pirate King or his equal.” She explained.

Nami nodded slowly, absorbed by her words. Usopp widened his eyes. “But that means-”

“That we should’ve possessed a tremendous power, yes. To face monsters of that calibre, it was the bare minimum.” The guy lowered his gaze, scratching his head, a bit unsure.

“Pardon my impudence,” exclaimed Robin, “but for how remarkable it was for you to be a match for Zoro, you still couldn’t keep it up for long. And he wasn’t even fighting at his full potential.” Usopp seemed incredibly grateful and mortified at the same time. “So, I think it’s quite farfetched to say that you could take down pirates of Luffy’s calibre.”

“I never said _I_ could.” She sounded a little bitter. Robin’s words had hit too close to home. “That’s what _they_ kept on telling us. My head hurts just by remembering it. It was as if they were brainwashing us. _Theoretically_ speaking, that should’ve been the result of their training, if we completed it.” She grazed her bangles, pensive. “But I never did. I managed to escape before.”

Nami crossed her legs, animated by a restless energy. “We’re tiptoeing around it since before. What is this _training_?” She asked, air quoting the last word.

 _Here we go_. “Mainly torture.” She answered, deadpan. She heard a gasp from behind her and a vial crushed on the floor. Suddenly, Mana realised that Chopper had never left the room. The awareness of having to talk about those things in front of him made her stomach twist. She resolved to focus on something else, looking at the pirates’ faces in front of her crumbling to show different emotions. Horror and disbelief were the most prominent, the latter mostly on the navigator’s face.

“What... what did they do?”

“Well, they didn’t lack imagination.” She said bitterly. From the faces they made, her morbid joke hadn’t been received well. She averted her gaze, ashamed. She tightened her lips, torn. There wasn’t a nice way to put it.

Nami seemed to have an epiphany. “... Is that how you got those scars?”

Mana nodded. “I’d call them corporal punishment, but they weren’t punishments. We hadn’t done anything wrong, after all.” Her fingers clenched the bed sheets. “They beat us to make us stronger. Strong enough to face Supernovas. It was a never-ending cycle of healing and convalescence. They even made us... fight... among us...”

She made a brief pause, feeling a sudden void at the height of her stomach. The sickness, that until that moment had buzzed around her like an annoying mosquito, assaulted her all of a sudden, almost making her puke. She clenched her torso, wheezing. Chopper hurriedly got closer and bended the backrest of the bed, making her lay down. Under the eyes of the presents, the small reindeer wetted her neck and face with a cloth. Though covered in cold sweat, Mana was boiling.

“Breathe.” Murmured firmly the doctor.

Nami frowned, worried. “You don’t have to say it all now, if it makes you this sick. We can take baby steps.” She said and stood up as if to go away.

Mana jerked blindly her arm at her direction, shaking her head. She didn’t trust herself to open her mouth, but luckily the navigator got the message and sat down again. Robin placed her hand on her shoulder. Usopp looked as if he’d seen a ghost, his face pale and twisted in a grimace. Mana tried to keep in mind his funny expression in an effort to get her mind off all that.

Still, it took her a whole ten minutes to calm down, and her strength got drained in the process, suddenly leaving her like a puppet with its strings cut. If she hadn’t been laying, she’d have surely hurt herself.

Chopper turned into his bigger form and helped her sit up, holding her steadily with one hand behind her back. He offered her a glass of water with his other hand.

Mana gave him a bitter smile. “Sorry.” She croaked.

Nami shook energetically her head. “Don’t.”

Mana curled her toes under the bedsheets. “I want to take this weight off my chest, so that I won’t have to bring it up again. Please.” The presents nodded. Usopp seemed to have forgotten his initial nervousness and sat next to her bed.

“There’s one more thing.” She said, after a while. All eyes were on her, but she couldn’t find the right words to tell them about that awful truth. She opened and closed her mouth an undefined number of times, her whole body covered in cold sweat again.

Nami couldn’t keep still anymore and jerked towards her to hold her hand. “Breathe. It’s okay.”

Mana looked back at her, sorrow weighting on her chest like a boulder. She squeezed her hand, as if she wanted to apologise for what she was about to say. “Many children, during these experiments... die.” Nami’s expression crumbled, two eyes full of despair fixated in hers, already clouded by tears. “And I mean... Many. Too many.”

She felt Chopper’s hand petrifying on her back, as the other pirates, Robin included, looked at her, horror visible in their faces.

“I’m sorry.” She whispered, lowering her head. “I’m sorry.”

The silence that followed her words was deafening.

* * *

As soon as she set foot out of the infirmary, the world blurred in a void dullness. Absent as she was, she wouldn’t be able to say how she managed to grasp Usopp to tell him to hold the course. She wasn’t lucid enough to steer the Sunny. Her friend was blatantly surprised by her request, but he quickly snapped out of it and nodded without any further questions. In spite of his nature, Usopp was a precious friend she could always count on, when in need. She waved goodbye with a nod and walked away.

One of the most awkward things about living on a ship was the impossibility of taking long walks. Which just happened to be her favourite way to think and ponder. After years on the open seas, Nami had given it up and made do with what she had. And that was why she often wandered obsessively through the ship, aimlessly and without a specific path to follow, with the only intent of venting that visceral need of stacking up kilometres as her mind dwelled on thoughts.

By then, her comrades knew this quirk of hers. They got used to it: they knew that they shouldn’t nag her in those moments, unless it was something important, of course. Even Zoro, when Nami tripped on his sleeping figure, learned to keep his mouth shut and not defy her. Nami was aware of that and was grateful for his regard.

Which is why, when Brook bumped into her during her march and didn’t step aside, Nami looked up, confused. The skeleton stared at her in silence for a few seconds. Nami blinked, taken aback.

At last, his comrade leaned forward, lifted her up to and put her on his shoulder, his sharp bones annoyingly poking at her skin. She let out a surprised gasp, kicking out of instinct, her irritation building up quickly. It wasn’t the time for his stupid games and dirty jokes. As if she _ever_ had time for that bullshit. She raised her head, ready to spit her anger at him; but her fire extinguished as rapidly as it was lit.

Brook didn’t have skin nor muscles. He didn’t have eyes, nor lips, nor anything else that could help decipher a person’s expression. However, he never had problems in showing his emotions, also thanks to his funny and flamboyant personality. And yet, in that moment his face was nothing more than a skull; the orbits dark and hollow. Nami had scarcely seen him that serious. It was in those moments that his real age showed.

Without any suggestive comments, the musician carried her on the Sunny’s deck in complete silence. Nami tried to hop off, but the skeleton held her close and erased the distance that separated him from the bow in a few strides – most of the times she forgot how long his legs were. He put her down exactly in front of the figurehead, holding her by her shoulders to help her straighten her back. Nami raised her head, confused, straining her neck to look at his tall companion in the eyes. Brook patted her gently on the head, as if she were a child, before turning and walking away. The navigator touched the point where the musician had patted her, bewildered by his inexplicable behaviour.

“Nami?” called a voice from above her head. She turned, narrowing her eyes because of the sunlight. Luffy, who was laying belly-up on the figurehead, had sat up to see what was going on. As soon as he focused on her, he frowned. “What an ugly face!”

Before she could react in any way, Luffy caught her and lifted her on the figurehead. In no time, she found herself wrapped in several layers of gummy libs, a hug that was more a cocoon. The guy shimmed on his butt until they both turned to face the ocean. The sea breeze ruffled her hair in all directions, even in her mouth. Nami spat it out, taken aback. Her legs were bent against her chest and her arms were trapped along her sides; she couldn’t move. At last, the guy rested his chin on her head, purring and pleased with himself.

Nami expected to feel her rage building up like lava in a volcano. She expected to feel an instinctive urge to kick and set herself free, to shout insults until she had voice no more. She deflated, instead, compliant, abandoning herself to the feeling of being encircled and enveloped gently from every direction. It was as if her every muscle had suddenly let go of all the tension she didn’t know she had. She lowered her eyelids, feeling the warmth of her captain sheltering her against the ocean wind, wrapping her up like a cape.

“Better?”

She nodded. The wind was ruffling her hair, but she didn’t care. She felt anchored. Unmovable.

“Shishishi.” The trembles of Luffy’s laugh made her skin prickle. “I was right, then. You needed a hug!” Nami didn’t reply and stared the endless blue that was in front of her eyes.

They remained like that for a while, in comfortable silence. For how much Luffy was annoying by nature, even he could let people have their own space. Even though, physically speaking, in that moment he wasn’t letting her any; she could barely breathe.

“Luffy.”

“Mh?”

Nami lowered her gaze, barely managing to glance at her toes. “I was too full of hope.” She licked her own lips, dried by the wind. “After all we’ve seen, one would think that I’d become more cynical. And yet, I’m still naïve.”

Her captain made an irritated noise. “Ugh. We already have Zoro who’s cynical. Not funny.”

A brief smile deprived of any joy stretched on her lips, to be replaced by a serious and gloomy expression. “Actually, I had already taken that into account, but I wanted...” she sighed heavily. “I don’t know. I guess that I didn’t want to think about it.”

“About what? A bad thing?”

Nami nodded. “A very bad thing.”

“I don’t like thinking about bad things. Nobody likes that. It makes you moody and sad. You’re already moody on your own, if you become even moodier, and sad on top of it, it’ll be like having a black cloud hovering over the Sunny. Don’t even bother.”

Nami let out a laugh. “Impulsive as you are, I know well enough what you think about these things. But at times you have to face the future.” Luffy emitted a questioning and guttural noise. “If you knew that the next island was full of danger-”

“I’d ask you to make the Sunny go faster.”

An irritated grimace twisted her lips. “Ok, but if you knew that on said island people are hurt-”

“Hurt in which way?”

“For fucks’ sake, Luffy! Heavens above, it’s an example! Hurt in the sense of physical pain! Just like the one I’ll inflict on you, if you keep on interrupting me!”

“Mmm.” Luffy resumed shimming on his butt, without making them move this time. He simply swung on the spot, unable to keep still for a long period of time. “Well, in that case I’d kick their ass.”

“Eh?”

“Those who hurt these people.” Said his captain, leaning against her with all of his weight and letting his head rest on her shoulder. “Come on, Nami, it wouldn’t be the first time we do that. You should know our protocols by now.”

 _What damn protocols?_ She turned her head to look at him with a questioning look.

“If there’s a bad guy, we punch him in the face.” Answered him with all the confidence and innocence of this world.

Nami pressed her forehead against her knees, exhaling loudly. “Got it, wrong example.” She said, exasperated. “What I meant was... If you knew that this... _villain_ hurts people, and that he’ll keep on doing that until you arrive to stop him... If you knew that every hour we spend sailing someone is suffering... What would you do?” she asked, turning her head to look at him again in the eyes, her nose barely poking out that tangle of arms.

Luffy blinked repeatedly, genuinely confused. “ _What_ should I do? When I get there I kick his ass of course, so that he won’t harm anyone anymore. Maybe we could even tie him up like a turkey and when Smokey chases us and lands on the island he finds him and arrests him and brings him to Impel Down.” He frowned, averting his gaze. “Maybe we should leave a note behind, just to be sure.” He looked back at her. “But you see, well. I can’t do anything of that, if I don’t get there before. To the island where the villain is, I mean.”

Nami stared at him for a while, silent. Talking with Luffy could be incredibly therapeutic or stressing, depending on the case. Most of the times, it helped to scale the problem down; or to look at things from a different perspective.

Luffy, with his childish vision of the world, was often right. Torturing herself because of all the people she couldn’t save would do her no good. It’d block her in the past. She smiled, remembering a similar chat she had with Brook and Franky a while before.

_Brook. What kind of face must I have had, to make him act like that._

Anyway, she had to set some boundaries and stop thinking about all the missed opportunities. She couldn’t allow herself to. She had a goal and she had to focus on how to reach it.

She had a sudden feeling of déjà-vu. Zoro told her pretty much the same things when they managed to escape from Namea and she was tormenting herself because she hadn’t been able to do more. She smiled. Her _nakama_ were the best she could’ve ever whished for.

On that note, she freed one hand from the gummy limbs wrap and blindly pinched her captain.

“Ouch! What was that for?” whined Luffy, pouting.

“I’m not moody.” Answered her, her pride hurt, gazing back at the ocean and letting her mind wander.

Now that she thought about it, when they were in Punk Hazard Caesar Clown had mentioned something that she hadn’t quite understood at the time. But in hindsight... the circumstances were too similar. _Was he actually talking about the kidnappings by the Marine? Does it mean that at Punk Hazard they knew about what was going on, about those super soldiers? What if the two things were connected? In both cases kids were kidnapped and used like guinea pigs, after all..._

Nami nibbled at her lower lip. “Damn. We should’ve kept in touch with Law. We don’t even have his Den Den Mushi number.” She sighed. “I wonder what he’s doing now.”

“Oh! Do you miss him too?” Luffy exclaimed cheerfully.

“Who? That creepy surgeon? As if. It’s just that, maybe, we’d have many more answers if we could talk to him.” _And to his hostage._

“Shishishi. True, he’s creepy, but I like him. I hope we’ll meet him again soon.”

“The weirder the better for you. This crew looks more and more like a circus. And- No, don’t give me that face. That wasn’t me agreeing to let him join us.”

Luffy’s enthusiastic expression deflated like a balloon. Nami let her captain mutter protests right into her ear, her eyes captured by the glimmering reflection of the sunset in the water of the Grand Line.

* * *

_People never change_. The Seashell Sage always said that.

According to the religion, the soul was one and united; but layered. The internal layer, close to the heart, was unchanging. It was the core of a person, their basic personality, their nature. And it never changed.

The layer farther away from the heart and closer to the head, instead… That one changed. It was influenced by every experience the person lived. It was the layer that influenced habits, unconscious gestures and reflexes.

A few years before, if they had tried to wake her up by making a ruckus in the same room she was sleeping in, she would’ve kept sleeping. Not even the roar of a Sea King too close to the shore of Zaratan would’ve woken her from her deep slumber. They called it the rest of the warrior. Mana wasn’t a warrior, though. She didn’t have that important of a role in the hierarchy of Zaratan. As if. Still, every time her head met a soft surface, it didn’t matter whether she had worked or not that day: if not shaken vigorously, she slept peacefully even for ten hours straight.

However, when Black Leg set a dinner tray on the bedside table, the feeble clink of pottery was enough to wake her up.

 _People change_. The Seashell Sage always said that.

He always contradicted himself. However, for some reason, what he said made sense.

Mana opened her eyes suddenly, holding still but with every muscle ready to bolt. Sanji blinked at her reaction, his face opening in a big smile. He finished placing her dinner down and quickly stood up.

“Oh, snow bud! Feeling any better?” he chirped cheerfully. “I brought you dinner. Cooked by myself with great dedication! It’ll help you recover and gain back your wonderful body shape!”

Mana barely managed to hide how annoyed she was by his vapid words and sat up. She did it with little care, forgetting her condition for a moment. A sudden stab of pain at her stomach made her hand jerk to cradle the hurting spot, a grimace on her face.

At the sight, the cook was furious. “That damn brainless gorilla! What was he thinking, hitting you like that?” He growled, gritting his teeth. “I’ll kick him again later. Honestly, beating up a delicate flower like you as if you were one of his punching bags… Unacceptable!”

Mana frowned without replying. She couldn’t understand him. What was he hoping to get from her, behaving like that? He did it even with the two women of the crew, in spite of their blatant indifference towards him. Maybe he was just stupid like a bag of rocks and couldn’t get it. Certainly some of his attentions and courtesies pleased them, especially the navigator. Mana had witnessed several times how the Cat Burglar took advantage of his blatant weakness to get what she wanted. She had been warned about him but, until that moment, other than a general sense of annoyance for his approach-slash-flatteries, she couldn’t understand how that man could be a threat.

“-this place, it’s like a new, third light boarded this ship! Another angel came to bless my eyes in this valley of sweaty boors-”

Mana tried to let her mind wander, blocking all the annoying noises and going into her happy place. Maybe if she ignored him long enough, he’d understand that he was being a nuisance and he’d shut his mouth.

“Fear not, from now on you won’t have to worry about anything!” He insisted instead, undaunted. “The others and I, we’ll fight those corrupted marines! You went through a lot, now you can rest and just shine your ethereal beauty on us!”

Mana clenched her jaw. “Can you stop it?” She snapped. “I don’t actually like being treated like a pretty ornament.” She added.

Sanji closed his mouth abruptly, taken aback. “I… didn’t want to belittle you. On the contrary.”

Mana looked at him. “Why do you treat me like this? What do you want?”

“For you to smile!” Answered the cook without hesitation. “That moss-head didn’t have the right to tell you those things nor to do what he did! He has no sense of good manners.”

“Good manners aren’t the point.” Answered Mana, offended. “I think that he was right to ask for a fight. He made me snap out of it, humbled me and made me reflect on my behaviour. And on yours. Exactly what he was aiming for, wasn’t it?”

The other hesitated. “... Yes, but he shouldn’t have fought-”

“Why shouldn’t he?” She answered back. _Oh my God, I’m defending that devil. May the heavens help me, maybe that head trauma was more serious than I thought._

“Because a real man would never lay his hands on a woman.” He said, certain.

 _Is he for real?_ Mana sniffled.

“Does it look like I care about what’s in the pants of people who lay their hands on me?” She said, glacial. “Do you think that when I was a prisoner I was given the special treatment because I was a woman?”

“I-”

“Obviously not.” She interrupted him, touching her bangles. “Unlike your comrade who, if you didn’t notice, didn’t take me seriously not even for a second during our fight.”

Sanji remained silent, torn. He knew it perfectly well.

Mana didn’t despise kindness. But condescendence, she hated it. And in that regard, Sanji and Zoro were almost alike, though in different ways. And Mana hated being given the kid glove treatment.

“Even though he wasn’t being serious, he still didn’t have to hurt you.” Insisted him weakly.

Mana sighed. She was tired. “Why are you here?”

“I wanted to cheer you up.”

“Did you think me depressed because I made a fool of myself?” Sanji gasped, gesticulating and trying to run for cover. “Well, you’re right”. She went on. “It’s not nice to see what I’ve become... If he were an enemy, I wouldn’t have had a single chance of victory.”

Sanji lowered his gaze. “... Is there something that I can do for you?”

Mana shrugged. “I guess that it’d be nice if you had a way to make me stronger.” She said, sarcastic. “It’d benefit everyone. Not even Zoro would have something to say if I could face enemies of a certain calibre.”

Honestly, she wasn’t expecting an answer. She remained silent, waiting for the other to leave so that she could eat. She didn’t like much being stared at while eating.

To her surprise, instead, Sanji raised his head. “There’s a way.”

Mana blinked. “Huh?”

Black Leg hesitated. “I could... I could teach you the Armament Haki.” He said. “It’d be useful to defend yourself. In that way, even if there wasn’t anyone there to protect you, you could manage by your own or resist and wait for backup to come.”

She looked at him with new eyes, deciding to ignore his subtle attempts of being chivalrous. “It’s... a good idea.” She admitted, surprised. “And I’d _really_ appreciate it.”

Sanji raised his head, smiling from ear to ear. “Allow me to, then!” He exclaimed, as if their previous discussion had never happened. Mana jerked back, taken aback by his sudden mood change. “Obviously, before starting it’s imperative for you to bring your body back to its best conditions!” He continued, rushing to take the lids off the delicacies he had brought for her.

Mana opened and closed her mouth, unsure about what to say while the guy placed a steamy dish in her hands.

“Come on, eat up! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to study a specific diet for your needs. You’ve got to go back to shining like before as soon as possible!” He said, walking away quickly. “Enjoy your meal!” He exclaimed right after exiting the infirmary.

Mana was left alone with a plate of risotto in her hands, staring at a closed door.

She didn’t even have the time to give him an answer.

* * *

Three brief knocks echoed through the door.

A pair of gloved hands carefully folded a newspaper before a voice replied: “Come in.”

A soldier entered the room, immediately saluting. “Vice Admiral, a letter from the Edgewater Island platoon has just arrived. They said that it has top priority.”

“Oh? I’ll have to see to it, then.” Answered the woman, smiling.

The soldier nodded and handed her the envelope.

As soon as she opened it, a picture slipped out of the envelope. It was slightly blurry, but the subject was clear: a white-haired girl hugging a guy with an unmistakable face and hat. There were three other people in the shot, but one huge detail immediately caught her attention.

The girl had a pair of wings sprouting from her back.

The face of Vice Admiral Flekwolle opened in a sinister smile. “174. At last.” She murmured. “You found yourself some famous travelling companions.”

She flipped the picture. On the back, the date and time of the shot were reported.

“Soldier!” She called him. “Notify the navigator.” She stood up from her chair. “It’s time we set a new course.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translator's note: We're finally back with the SEVENTH chapter of Barefoot! The plot thickens, so let us know your first impressions!  
> You can leave comments, kudos, or check out the author's blog on Tumblr as [Nerewrites](https://nerewrites.tumblr.com). Let's give this hardworking writer some love and appreciation! <3  
> Also, I'd like to thank my beta reader for having kept at bay all my English mistakes. You can find her on Tumblr as [Crispygarden](https://crispygarden.tumblr.com).
> 
> If you want to keep track with my translations, namely Barefoot, you can follow me on Tumblr as [DanceLikeAnHippogriff](http://dancelikeanhippogriff.tumblr.com). Use "#translation" or "#barefoot" to find the updates among all my junk!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Again, let us know!


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